Expert says data sharing to cost operators billions of rubles

MOSCOW, Mar 18 (PRIME) -- The Russian government’s initiative on the transfer of subscribers’ data to the communications service will raise operators’ costs by billions of rubles, Igor Bederov, an expert of engineering center SafeNet of the National Technology Initiative, told PRIME on Thursday.

“The communications service will spend some 300--400 million rubles on creation of an information system to process Russians’ data. This initiative will trigger billions of rubles of costs of the connection operators because  they will have to join the communications service’s system and update this information every 24 hours,” Bederov said.

“They will have to connect equipment, transfer data, and block a large number of corporate phone numbers.”

It will be intrusion in Russians’ private life, he said.

According to the government’s draft ruling, the information to be shared with the communications service includes personal data and information about calls, comprising who calls or texts whom.

The Digital Development Ministry promised to keep communication secret. No content of calls or messages will be disclosed by the operators to the watchdog. The measure will clean the market from illegally sold SIM cards and reduce the number of frauds, the ministry said, but Bederov warned about possible leaks.

(73.1019 rubles – U.S. $1)

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