Putin Bans Government Agencies and Banks from Communicating with Clients via Foreign Messengers

Vladimir Putin signed a law aimed at protecting citizens from telephone and cyber fraudsters: employees of departments, banks and telecom operators are now prohibited from communicating with clients via foreign instant messaging systems. Restrictions are also being introduced for non-credit financial institutions, large aggregators and other sites with an audience of more than 500 thousand visitors per day.

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Mandatory labeling of calls from organizations will appear — the company name will be displayed on the phone screen when an incoming call comes in, making it possible to distinguish an official call from a fraudulent one. When issuing loans remotely, microfinance organizations are required to identify clients through a single biometric system — it is emphasized that the use of biometrics is not an obligation, but a right.

Citizens are given the opportunity to set a ban on mass calls through telecom operators; the State Services website will feature a function for setting a “self-ban” on SIM card registration remotely. The State Duma adopted the bill on combating cyber fraud on March 25 in the second and third readings at once; on March 27, it was approved by the Federation Council.