VK Discloses User Data Handling Rules

The social network VK has published its rules for handling user data, clarifying what information it can provide to law enforcement agencies without a court order. However, the company did not disclose statistics on government requests for user data.

What Information Can Be Provided Without a Court Order?

In a dedicated section, VK explained that law enforcement agencies may request the following information without a court decision:

• The address of a user’s personal page
• The time and IP address of profile registration
• Mobile phone number
• Email address
• The time and IP address of the last password change
• History of username and linked mobile number changes
• The time and IP address of posting the content specified in the request
• History of page blocks and support requests
• History and list of IP addresses used to log into the account

The following authorities can request this data: Roskomnadzor, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), courts, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Federal Customs Service, the Prosecutor’s Office, and other agencies.

VK’s Policy on Official Requests

VK states that it reviews all official requests from authorities for legal compliance and does not provide users’ private messages without a court order. According to company representatives, VK is not allowed to notify users about government requests.

“Unfortunately, notifying users about received requests is prohibited in most countries, including Russia. In Russia, like other services, we are restricted by Article 12 of Federal Law 144-FZ ‘On Operational-Investigative Activities,’ paragraph 15 of Russian Government Decree No. 759 dated July 31, 2014, and Article 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The very fact of receiving a request is considered confidential information, and we are not allowed to disclose it,” the social network’s policy states.

What Data Does VK Collect?

The company also detailed the types of information it collects, including:

• Location data
• Registration data (first name, last name, date of birth, gender, mobile number, and email address)
• Support requests
• Profile description information
• Visit history and device data
• Publication history and subscriptions
• Private messages
• Payment data
• Media files tagged with the user
• Information from third parties

VK may share this information with government agencies, app developers, advertisers, and other service providers.

How to Delete Your VK Account

Users who wish to delete their VK account simply need to go to “My Settings” → “General” → “Delete your page.”