Yandex NV (YNDX.O) stated on Thursday that it is in discussions with the Dutch Data Protection Agency to prove that its ride-hailing app, Yango, does not step on regulatory toes when storing and transferring data. This move follows allegations that the app is a channel via which the Russian Secret Service collects data on European customers.
Yandex eager to prove its Yango app doesn’t breach data privacy regulations in Europe
In August, regulators in Finland and Norway announced their intentions to ban Yango from transferring data. This decision was however revoked and seems to be a knee-jerk response to controversial legislation that came into effect on 1 September.
This law grants Russia access to data processed through taxi services. The Dutch authorities reacted similarly and launched a probe in terms of data protection rules under the European Union. In a Wednesday email to Bloomberg, a spokesperson for the Dutch Data Protection Authority said:
We can confirm that we started an investigation into Yango
However, the authority declined any other further comments and did not elaborate on the nature of this investigation or how long it would take. Often referred to as the Google of Russia, Yandex, although registered in the Netherlands, is listed on the Nasdaq.
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The company indicated that the Finnish and Norwegian probes found that Yango’s processing of personal data does not threaten any fundamental rights or liberties of European users. Reuters reported that Yango further said:
As we have always stated, data of Yango users cannot be obtained from the service by Russian authorities outside of the established international procedures, for example, involving Interpol.
