What are some of those companies? I'd be curious to read about that. Because it doesn't sound like the state dept. has any legal basis here, just American specialism.

At any rate, US is not the bastion of freedom that Russia's actions should be compared to. Especially so when it involves three-letter agencies.

To clarify the distinction I'm trying to make - yes, US doing some shady shit, mostly trying to keep it in secret. Russia is explicitly legalizing such shady shit. And doing even shadier shit in secret.