Amid steps to expand its control over online communications, the Russian government has unveiled a new package of digital security measures that would sharply restrict incoming phone calls from outside the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko said on December 9 that the government had prepared a new package of initiatives that includes a ban on international incoming calls made without the consent of the receiver.
According to Grigorenko, the package contains around 20 initiatives aimed at "protecting citizens from phone and Internet fraud." Among the proposed measures are the mandatory labeling of all international calls, the introduction of special "children's SIM cards," and stricter limits on mass SIM card issuance.
Officials have claimed such steps are needed to reduce large-scale fraud schemes, particularly those involving cashing out stolen funds through networks of anonymously registered SIM cards.
However, critics say the new proposals, along with a series of other recent restrictions introduced to limit or forbid communications -- including the banning of many social media platforms -- are aimed at cutting off access to independent sources of information as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth anniversary.
International apps including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Signal, Viber, Snapchat, and the gaming platform Roblox have been blocked or restricted. Earlier this month, Apple's FaceTime video service was added to the list when the government blocked it.
Roskomnadzor has justified these moves by claiming services were being used for "organizing and carrying out terrorist activities, recruiting perpetrators, and committing fraud and other crimes against Russian citizens."
Many of the steps to restrict access come after officials launched Max, a new app developed by VK, the social media company formerly known as VKontakte.
Activists say Max is modeled partly on the Chinese app WeChat. The government is pushing people toward the app in order to monitor and control what Russians can access, they add.
In a sign of the government's push toward using Max, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media (Mintsifry) told the Kommersant newspaper it is gradually phasing out SMS-based logins to the state services portal, Gosuslugi, on mobile devices.
Gosuslugi serves as Russia's primary digital gateway between citizens and the state.
It is used for tax returns, medical services, legal documentation, and, following a recent legislative amendment, the delivery of electronic draft notices to military enlistment offices.
Access to Gosuslugi via smartphone will now be possible only through Max.
