Telecom Operators May Collect User Nicknames and Messenger Data

At a meeting of the Federation Council’s temporary commission on the development of the information society, Oleg Ivanov, Deputy Head of Roskomnadzor, proposed adding information about users’ nicknames and the types of messengers they use to telecom operators’ databases. This was reported by the TASS news agency.

According to Ivanov, work is currently underway to implement the law on messengers in practice. Officials are suggesting amendments to Article 53 of the Federal Law “On Communications” to immediately link data about the messenger’s name and the user’s nickname to the subscriber’s phone number and passport information.

“During the process where a messenger requests information from a telecom operator, such data appears, and the operator’s database records this information—the nickname and the name of the messenger—linked to a specific subscriber’s number and, accordingly, to the subscriber themselves. Since this is not specified in the law, it would be preferable to include it,” Ivanov noted.

He added, “Currently, a telecom operator does not have the right to provide communication services until the subscriber’s identifier—address, passport data, etc.—is present in their database. Additionally, there is a law on messengers, which states that messengers can only provide services after receiving confirmation from the telecom operator that the identifier for that number exists in the operator’s database.”

It is worth recalling that on January 1, 2018, a law regulating the activities of messengers came into force in Russia. The document defines the concept of instant messaging services and outlines their responsibilities. In addition to identifying users, messengers are required to enable mass messaging at the initiative of government authorities and to restrict the distribution and transmission of messages containing information that contradicts the law.