The department will be able to restrict calls as part of the fight against fraud.
The head of Roskomnadzor, Andrei Lipov, said at the Spektr-2024 conference that the agency "may restrict calls through messengers" as part of the fight against fraud. "This is a tough option, which is possible as one of the measures," Lipov said, adding that messengers will continue to work, but calls through them will be blocked.
Lipov also noted that a set of requirements for foreign messengers regarding skipping calls may be developed in Russia. He gave an example: messengers will have to provide users with the opportunity to independently limit the acceptance of calls coming from abroad or from subscribers who are not in their contacts. In this case, Roskomnadzor will be able to temporarily ban calls through the messenger until the company complies with these requirements. "Figuratively speaking, until you have fulfilled, they will not be able to call through you", he explained. Lipov also added that the implementation of these measures will require the development of a separate regulation
The issue of restricting calls through messengers has been discussed since the beginning of summer, when Maxim Prytkin, head of the Department for Control and Supervision in the Field of Communications of Roskomnadzor, announced the need to develop a mechanism for interaction between telecom operators and instant messengers, social networks and other applications where a phone number is used as an identifier. Prytkin noted that if messengers refuse to verify the authenticity of numbers together with telecom operators, this could lead to the introduction of a ban on voice calls through their platforms in Russia.
Roskomnadzor and telecom operators are actively fighting fraudulent calls. In the summer, operators began to block calls from subscribers who were not connected to the Anti-Fraud system. As a result, fraudsters began to actively use instant messengers for their actions.
Oleg Terlyakov, Deputy Head of Roskomnadzor, said that 1,167 telecom operators have already been connected to the Antifraud system, which is 99.5% of all companies that own numbers in Russia. However, he stressed that the system is not able to check calls originating from foreign numbers, "for objective reasons". In this regard, options are now being considered on how to provide users with the ability to block all calls from abroad or allow them only from certain numbers included in a special list.
In addition, Terlyakov noted that the problem with the identification of SIM card owners remains relevant. According to him, the department is preparing a ban on the distribution of SIM cards through Internet platforms, marketplaces and unauthorized persons. Also, from 2025, it is planned to introduce a limit on the number of SIM cards: up to 20 for Russian citizens and up to 10 for foreigners.
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The head of Roskomnadzor, Andrei Lipov, said at the Spektr-2024 conference that the agency "may restrict calls through messengers" as part of the fight against fraud. "This is a tough option, which is possible as one of the measures," Lipov said, adding that messengers will continue to work, but calls through them will be blocked.
Lipov also noted that a set of requirements for foreign messengers regarding skipping calls may be developed in Russia. He gave an example: messengers will have to provide users with the opportunity to independently limit the acceptance of calls coming from abroad or from subscribers who are not in their contacts. In this case, Roskomnadzor will be able to temporarily ban calls through the messenger until the company complies with these requirements. "Figuratively speaking, until you have fulfilled, they will not be able to call through you", he explained. Lipov also added that the implementation of these measures will require the development of a separate regulation
The issue of restricting calls through messengers has been discussed since the beginning of summer, when Maxim Prytkin, head of the Department for Control and Supervision in the Field of Communications of Roskomnadzor, announced the need to develop a mechanism for interaction between telecom operators and instant messengers, social networks and other applications where a phone number is used as an identifier. Prytkin noted that if messengers refuse to verify the authenticity of numbers together with telecom operators, this could lead to the introduction of a ban on voice calls through their platforms in Russia.
Roskomnadzor and telecom operators are actively fighting fraudulent calls. In the summer, operators began to block calls from subscribers who were not connected to the Anti-Fraud system. As a result, fraudsters began to actively use instant messengers for their actions.
Oleg Terlyakov, Deputy Head of Roskomnadzor, said that 1,167 telecom operators have already been connected to the Antifraud system, which is 99.5% of all companies that own numbers in Russia. However, he stressed that the system is not able to check calls originating from foreign numbers, "for objective reasons". In this regard, options are now being considered on how to provide users with the ability to block all calls from abroad or allow them only from certain numbers included in a special list.
In addition, Terlyakov noted that the problem with the identification of SIM card owners remains relevant. According to him, the department is preparing a ban on the distribution of SIM cards through Internet platforms, marketplaces and unauthorized persons. Also, from 2025, it is planned to introduce a limit on the number of SIM cards: up to 20 for Russian citizens and up to 10 for foreigners.
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