The State Duma has adopted in the second and third readings a bill that establishes the framework for the operation of a database of IMEI numbers for mobile devices. The initiative is part of the second package of measures to combat cyber fraud.

IMEI is a unique 15-digit number that can identify a smartphone or other mobile device. According to Igor Igoshin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Competition Protection, when gadgets are imported into Russia, these numbers will be entered into a special database.

The system will indicate which devices are allowed for use and which are prohibited. Illegally imported or stolen devices can be added to a "blacklist," after which they will stop working in Russian mobile networks.

Mobile operators and government agencies will be able to enter data into the database. Their list will be determined later by the government. Operators will also be obliged to indicate which SIM card a device with a specific IMEI number is assigned to.