Bloggers will have to register in Roskomnadzor: Putin signs new law to regulate messengers

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law regulating the operation of instant messaging services, which was previously approved by the State Duma and the Federation Council. According to the law, owners of popular channels with more than 10,000 subscribers will be required to provide information about themselves to Roskomnadzor (RKN) in a manner specified by the government. The document has been published on the official legal acts portal.

The law will come into effect on November 1, 2024. Roskomnadzor will be responsible for monitoring channels with more than 10,000 subscribers. Owners of public channels not included in the list will be prohibited from placing advertisements and funding offers, and will also be banned from reposting information from such channels.

According to the law, messenger operators must prevent users from receiving messages from unknown individuals. They must also provide user information to authorized government bodies upon request, following the procedures set by the government.

Starting January 1, 2025, according to the law, platform owners will be required to restrict access to personal user pages within 24 hours of receiving a request from RKN if the users have not provided their data to the regulator. Additionally, social networks with a daily audience of more than 500,000 people will need to provide information about users upon request from RKN or the FSB.

The law also organizes the relationships between telecommunications operators and subscribers regarding mobile communication services. Specifically, Russian citizens can have no more than 20 SIM cards, while foreign citizens can have up to 10, including corporate ones.

Verification of the accuracy of the information provided by subscribers will be carried out by telecommunications operators before providing services, using the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA), the Unified Biometric System (EBS), the Interdepartmental Electronic Interaction System (SMEV) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or based on passport data confirmation in organizations designated by the government. After verification, the operator will be required to send the data to the State Information System for SIM Card Control of RKN (SIM Card Control Information System).

Cash payments for communication services will only be processed after the payer is identified at bank branches, postal services, other government-designated organizations, or through specially equipped terminals meeting established requirements.