Bloggers with a significant following, including owners of Telegram channels with at least 10,000 subscribers, will soon be required to provide their personal data to Roskomnadzor, according to an informed source as reported by Interfax.
The source revealed that a proposed amendment will be discussed at the State Duma Committee in the upcoming week, with plans for it to become law by the end of the spring session. The primary objective of these amendments is to verify and identify subscribers to various online platforms.
If the bloggers fail to comply with the data transfer requirements to Roskomnadzor, the administrators of the respective resources will be compelled to block the Telegram channel or page.
It is anticipated that these amendments will be incorporated into the second reading of a bill aimed at tightening the regulations for the sale of SIM cards. Additionally, Alexander Hinstein, the head of the State Duma IT Committee, disclosed that the new law will also establish similar user identification procedures for instant messengers, akin to those followed by communication operators.
Last July, reports emerged suggesting that Roskomnadzor was contemplating a mandate requiring account owners with a daily audience exceeding 1000 individuals to disclose their data to the regulatory body. The objective behind this move is to enhance data reliability and combat the dissemination of illicit content on the internet.