Moldova investigates whether Yandex taxi app sent user data to Russia
Moldovan authorities are investigating whether the Yandex Go ride-hailing service transferred users' personal data to servers in Russia, following an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Moldovan Service.
The inquiry follows an October 13 report raising questions about where the company stores user information and alleging that millions of dollars in revenue from its Moldovan operations flowed to accounts abroad without being taxed locally.
On October 15, Moldova's Council for Strategic Investment Review ordered the company to disclose its ultimate beneficial owners and instructed data protection authorities to investigate where users' personal information was being transferred.
Yandex was given 20 days to comply. The investigation could lead to the suspension of its services or seizure of assets, RFE/RL reported.
The company controls approximately 60% of Moldova's taxi market.
Court documents reviewed by RFE/RL did not establish where Moldovan drivers' data had been stored or whether it had been deleted.
The concerns follow a separate case in the Netherlands, where Yandex-linked company MLU BV was fined $112 million in May for storing personal data belonging to users in Norway and Finland on servers in Russia.
Latvia and Estonia banned Yandex Go in 2022 over security concerns related to the transfer of user data to Russia.