Identification rules for instant messengers by phone number have entered into force in the Russian Federation

[root]

According to the government decree of November 6, 2018, the messaging service must send a request to the telecom operator for the availability of a subscriber number, and he must provide data within 20 minutes.

If there is no number in the operator’s database or if there is no response from the operator, the user identification is considered incomplete. In such a situation, the messenger must refuse to provide services to the user.

Operators are now obligated to enter in their database data on which applications their clients correspond with, as well as a unique user identification code that the messenger will assign to him. In case of termination of the contract with a verified subscriber, the operator must notify the messaging service about this within 24 hours. Tom, in turn, will have to re-identify.

In the "big four" mobile operators told RIA Novosti that they are ready to fulfill these requirements. Representatives of Viber and Facebook (including Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp) did not respond to the agency’s request.

Source

 

[НСК-СБ]

Since May 5, all instant messengers are required to identify users by phone number. The identification will be considered passed only after receiving a response from the mobile operator that the number really belongs to the user

Since May 5, a government decree on the obligation of messenger owners to identify users by phone number has come into force in Russia. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the relevant decree on October 27 last year; it was published on November 6. The text of the document says that the resolution comes into force 180 days after publication.

According to the decree, the user identification will be as follows: messengers will request information about the user from the mobile operator, he will be required to provide the requested data within 20 minutes. If the operator does not provide information about the user or if the relevant information does not appear in the database, the identification will not be considered passed.

The mobile operator, for its part, according to a government decree, is required to enter in its databases both information about which application the subscriber is using and a unique identification code.

The head of Roskomnadzor Alexander Zharov explained that the new rules for identifying users of instant messengers will help "create a secure communication environment." He emphasized that users can not use their phone numbers when communicating in messengers, and anonymity makes it difficult for law enforcement officers.

More details at RBC:
In Russia, new rules for identification in messengers

 

[root]

And what about the Threema messenger, it can work without being tied to a phone number (but if desired, the phone number can be used)!