FSB steps up control over telecommunications

According to newspaper Kommersant, the Russian Ministry of Information and Communication has officially informed all telecommunication companies and Internet providers that they will have to give the FSB unrestricted access to bugging of telephones and control of the Internet.

However, the official new powers of the FSB might not make any big difference. The telecommunications companies admit that the secret services already have the access they want to electronic information. Until now, however, the collection of information has been going on through half-secret channels.