Russia's Internet Market

According to Yandex, one of Russia's most prominent IT companies, Russia is now the second largest IT company in Europe, just behind Germany. The internet market share in Russia is expanding quickly, even with only 43% of people in Russia being able to access the web. Techdirt.com reports that Russia's own government is responding to the new internet market by mimicking China's censorship policies: "Russia has apparently launched a "new initiative" to get volunteers to sign up for "The League of Internet Safety." Russia has claimed that it will expand its censorship efforts to the point of "policing [all] other negative content," which Techdirt condemns as a very "broad" definition."

This news, then, is a mixed bag for followers of e-marketing in Russia. On one hand, as the internet market grows, there will be more ways for foreigners to attract Russian markets. On the other hand, the Russian government could prevent its citizens from getting too involved with foreign e-marketing efforts. Russia has a lot of room to expand, with only 43% of its population having internet access. However, the way that this rapidly expanding market affects Russia's foreign business is almost solely in the hands of the government.