Day: September 24, 2024
Yandex and Russian servers in Georgia
According to Georgia’s Personal Data Protection Service (PSPD), the Yandex app connects to servers located in Russia when processing personal data.
As part of its investigation, the Personal Data Protection Service (PSPD) examined the potential illegal transfer of personal data by Raidtech Georgia to another country.
This company provides taxi services through the Yandex GO app (for passengers) and Yandex Pro (for drivers).
The investigation revealed that during internet connection monitoring, the app was found to connect to servers located in the Russian Federation. The company had set up the technical process for handling personal data of individuals (passengers and drivers) registered in Georgia in such a way that, upon establishing a network connection, servers received traffic, including the network IP address.
It was also reported that Raidtech previously requested a license from the PSPD to transfer data to Russia, but this request was denied.
As a result of the violation, Raidtech was fined 4,000 lari (around $1.5k) and ordered to stop transferring data to Russia.
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The Daily Beat: 23 September
Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s opposition party, “For Georgia,” signed the Georgian Charter, a president-initiated roadmap for advancing Georgia’s EU integration, the party official confirmed to Civil.ge. Gakharia’s decision to join the Charter follows a week of failed negotiations between him and Lelo’s leader, Mamuka Khazaradze, to unite their election lists, mediated by President Zurabishvili.
At a late Monday briefing, President Salome Zurabishvili took stock of the talks between Gakharia-Khazaradze and said that even though the agreement could not be reached, it set a precedent for an effort to compromise. She highlighted the crucial role of the Georgian Charter as a unifying document for pro-Western parties, emphasizing the vital importance of the upcoming elections and calling for full voter mobilization.
The Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia reported that Ridetech Georgia Ltd., a provider of Yandex Taxi services, illegally transferred the personal data of the Georgian users of its services to Russia. Ridetech was found guilty of violating the Georgian law on the protection of personal data and fined GEL 4000 (approximately USD 1465). The Personal Data Protection Service also ordered the company to cease transferring personal data to Russia.
Speaking with journalists, Kakha Kaladze, the General Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, referred to the unsuccessful attempt by Mamuka Khazaradze‘s Lelo and Giorgi Gakharia‘s For Georgia to join forces, mediated by President Zurabishvili, as “just a show.” He suggested that the initiative was influenced by a “foreign embassy,” which is widely believed to be a reference to the U.S. “The Opposition campaign is controlled by a certain Embassy. They are loyal slaves,” Kaladze said.
Nino Malashkhia, a civil servant, the woman in the popular photo holding the EU flag against the water cannon during the March 2023 protests against the Foreign Agents Law, has joined the opposition political movement – Coalition for Change. “The woman with the EU flag moved out of the photo and continues to fight for her homeland,” Malashkia claimed at the coalition event.
Opposition-leaning Formula TV suggests, citing its sources, that the U.S. has severed official contacts with the Georgian authorities and in response, the Georgian side is considering the recall of its Ambassador in Washington D.C. for consultations. Foreign policy experts and former diplomats claim that if confirmed, such a move will dangerously isolate Georgia, undermining its security.