Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to introduce working fines for communication operators who refuse to establish and maintain operational-search measures (SORM), as announced on the official website. Failure to fulfill the operator’s obligation to implement SORM will result in administrative liability for non-compliance with the mandatory licensing requirements for networks and communication means to ensure safety and conduct operational-search measures. This liability includes imposing a fine on individual entrepreneurs and legal entities, ranging from 0.001% to 0.003% of the amount of revenue, but not less than one million rubles. Additionally, non-compliance would result in a fine of 0.01% to 0.03% of the revenue, but not less than one million rubles. The amount of revenue will be determined in the provision of communication services market in the relevant region of violation.
The accompanying documents with the bill states the SORM installation is necessary to ensure citizen and state safety, prevent terrorism, and deter false reports of threats to security. However, critics have argued that these fines would not affect tariffs for consumers. The new law comes into effect on January 1, 2024.