internet
Why does Russia require international companies to store their data on servers in country?
<p>Why does Russia require international companies to keep user data on servers within the country?</p>

<p>Simply because it makes it an easy matter for the Russian government to gain access to the data on those servers in the event it chooses to.  I don't think Vladimir Putin would hesitate for one second about using force to seize them if he were to get it in his head to, which could never happen if the computers were outside the country.  If the servers were located outside of Russia then Russia would have to rely on the willing cooperation of both foreign companies and governments to obtain any information residing on the servers, which I think would be pretty much a non-starter.</p>
