The Ministry of Digital Development is preparing a bill to ban the use of foreign messengers for work purposes by Russians employed in a number of areas of interest for fraud and espionage. This was reported by Interfax news agency, citing a source familiar with the content of the bill. According to him, it is proposed to introduce these norms from September 1, 2026.
According to the source, the restrictions will affect employees of marketplaces and delivery services in their interactions with customers, employees of credit institutions, employees of the Bank of Russia, employees of telecom operators, civil servants and civil servants of Russian regions.
They will only be able to communicate with individuals through messengers whose service is associated with a Russian legal entity or a Russian citizen.
To use such messengers, employees of a number of structures and civil servants will have to undergo identification or authentication in the Unified Identification and Authentication System in the infrastructure that ensures information and technological interaction of information systems used to provide state and municipal services in electronic form (ESIA).
Currently, there are about ten solutions on the Russian market from various software developers, telecom operators and Internet companies. In particular, they are offered by Yandex, VK, IVA Technologies, MTS, VEON, Trukonf.
Earlier in Russia, from December 2023, amendments to the law "On Information" came into force, which limited the possibility of registration and authorization of Russians on domestic portals through foreign services. We are talking about Gmail and Apple ID. The measures apply not only to "Gosuslugi", but also to other services and social networks.