Russian MPs back law on internet data storage

Russia's lower house of parliament has passed a law that requires internet companies to store personal data of Russian citizens' in the country.

The Kremlin said the move was for the protection of data but critics fear it is intended to silence social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

The Russian government allegedly seeking greater access to user data.

Social networks are widely used by protesters against President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.

Analysts said there was concern that Russia might be trying to make a closed and censored version of the internet within its borders.

The new bill still must be approved by the upper house and President Putin before it becomes law.

If passed, the new rules will not take effect until September 2016 but would give the government a reason to block inappropriate websites.

"The purpose of this legislation is to create ... (more) quasi-legal pretext to shut down Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the other services," Internet expert and blogger Anton Nossik told Reuters news agency.

"The ultimate goal is to shut up, enforcing censorship in the country and establish a situation in which the internet business will not be able to exist and function properly."

But introducing a bill to parliament, MP Vadim Dengin said "most Russians do not want their data to leave Russia for the United States, where it can be hacked and given to criminals".

"All of our lives are stored in there," he said, adding that the company had to build a data center in Russia.