Russian ombudsman says foolish to force operators to keep calls data

MOSCOW, Jun 27 (PRIME) -- Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov has asked Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house, not to adopt in its current form a bill obliging operators to store data on users’ calls and messages and their content, he said on Monday.

“We’ve written today a letter to Matviyenko to the Federation Council that (the document) could not be adopted as is; it would be stupid. It has nothing to do with any civil patriotic sentiments, but mere economic foolishness. It’s impossible to store such volumes of data for all mobile companies, because it requires enormous investment,” Titov told reporters.

The bill’s clauses are unrealistic, he said.

“It will never be respected or we will shut down telephony. It makes no sense, because at least half of the exchanged data is deciphered…It’s impossible to hack the code without the keys, but it’s also an issue. If these data are needed, they are deciphered; nobody could read them,” the official said.

The State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, has recently approved antiterrorist measures, including a clause, under which connection operators, messengers and social networks must keep a record of talks, correspondence and their content.

Under the bill, operators must keep information on facts of exchange of calls, messages, photos, sounds and video of users for three years on the country’s territory, while they must keep content of talks and correspondence for up to six months.

The same requirements are applicable to messengers and social networks, but they must keep records of facts of message transfers for one year. Content of correspondence must be also stored for up to six months.

Connection operators must provide law enforcement entities with information on users and services rendered to them. Messengers and social networks must equip the Federal Security Service with keys if messages are deciphered, as the bill reads.

In order to become law, the bill must be approved by the Federation Council in one reading and be signed by the president.

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