Russia tells Amazon Web Services to set up local representation or face restrictions

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seen during the 4th annual America Digital Latin American Congress of Business and Technology in Santiago, Chile, September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

(Reuters) - Russia's state communications regulator Roskomnadzor has added Amazon Web Services and 11 other foreign technology companies to a widened list of firms it wants to open local offices or face penalties and possible bans.

Russia in 2021 demanded that 13 firms, mostly U.S. technology companies such as Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms' Facebook, Apple and Twitter become officially represented on Russian soil by the end of the year or face restrictions on advertising, data collection or money transfers.