MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) – The State Duma has adopted a bill regulating the work of messaging services and prohibiting anonymous use of online messengers in the first reading.

On June 9, the bill was supported by the State Duma Committee on Information Policy.

A group of lawmakers submitted the bill to the lower house of Russia’s parliament on May 24. Amendments are proposed to the Federal Law “On Information, Information Technology and Information Protection”.

In particular, the bill obliges organizers of instant messaging to maintain message transmission only of Internet users identified in accordance with a procedure established by Russia’s government and prohibits providers from working with unidentified users.

Moreover, the draft law proposes to identify users with the aid of their cell phone numbers basing on the agreement for identification concluded between organizers of instant messaging and communications providers.

Failure to abide by the regulations would result in fines of up to 5,000 rubles (about $88 at the current exchange rate) for individuals, up to 50,000 rubles ($878) for officials and up to 1 million rubles ($17,500) for companies. Messengers would also face blocking in Russia for failure to comply with requirements to restrict anonymous messaging.