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- Retaliation: ban on letters to authorities from foreign e-mail addresses approved in first reading
Retaliation: ban on letters to authorities from foreign e-mail addresses approved in first reading
Russian citizens will be able to use only electronic addresses in the Russian domain zone when contacting the authorities. State Duma deputies approved such amendments in the first reading on November 20. Letters from domains registered abroad will not be answered. The authors of the bill - representatives of the Krasnodar Territory's Zakobraniya - believe that such a measure will reduce the volume of spam mailings to Russian authorities and will allow for better protection of information of the state and its citizens. At the same time, the adoption of amendments may violate the rights of Russians living abroad, for whom access to domestic domain zones may be blocked.
How the procedure for receiving appeals will change
The introduction of a ban on sending e-mails to state and regional bodies from foreign e-mail addresses was approved by Duma deputies in the first reading on November 20. Thepurpose of the document - to reduce the number of spam mailings and protection of information of the state and Russians, note in the explanatory note the authors of the document - representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar region.
After the adoption of the novelty response to an electronic appeal from a mail address registered in a foreign domain zone will not be given.
"Theinformation infrastructure of legislative bodies of Russian regions - members of the South-Russian Parliamentary Association on a systematic basis is subjected to spam mailings, which are carried out, as a rule, by sending mass appeals from applicants who used e-mail addressesregistered in a foreign domain zone ", - complained the authors of the amendments.
They specified that the share of justified and not containing signs of spam-mailing appeals sent from foreign e-mail addresses amounted to only 5%.
Also in the explanatory note it is noted that the use of mail services registered on the territory of foreign countries unfriendly to Russia does not meet the requirements for the protection of information established by federal law.
"In addition, sending the applicant's appeal using such services implies that the personal data of a Russian, which he should specify in the appeal, will actually be stored outside the territory of Russia, which contradicts the norms of the federal law on personal data", follows from the document", follows from the document.
The explanatory note notes that foreign e-mails are used, among other things, by hackers to attack the information infrastructure of Russia's public authorities.
Olga Timofeeva, Chairman of the Committee for the Development of Civil Society, Public and Religious Associations, presenting the bill at a meeting in the State Duma, emphasized that some government agencies have already limited the possibility of sending appeals from a foreign domain zone.
- For example, in April 2022, the Federal Tax Service blocks appeals from e-mail accounts of America and European Union countries, - she emphasized.- Now it is possible to apply to the tax authorities in alternative ways - through the personal cabinet of the taxpayer or feedback service. Both options allow to identify the applicant and reduce the number of unmotivated appeals.
Also, according to her, since May 2024, Russian courts have stopped accepting letters from foreign domains to their e-mails.
Olga Timofeeva noted that the draft law of the Krasnodar region is superimposed on the current legislation: from January 1, 2025 all authorities must connect to the "Gosuslugi" system through contractual relations.
- Russians will be able to apply to any authority, identifying themselves on "Gosuslugi", - she reminded.
During the discussion of the bill, Olga Timofeeva said that the Ministry of Finance supported the proposed amendments to the law on appeals of Russian citizens. "Izvestia" sent a request to the Ministry to confirm this information, and also clarified whether the Ministry of Digitization had comments to the document.
Possible inconveniences
Experts interviewed by "Izvestia" could not unequivocally answer the question whether citizens will have to re-register their accounts on the portal "Gosuservices" if an e-mail address with a foreign domain was previously used.
Thus, the head of the "Popular Front. Analytics" Olga Pozdnyakova believes that re-registration will not be required. The law, according to her, does not have retroactive force. A partner of a.t.Legal Alexander Pavlovsky admitted that users with foreign mail on "Gosuslugi" will have to change addresses to those registered in the Russian domain zone.
- This may require updating contact information in personal accounts and possibly confirming new addresses, " he said.
In early November, the Gosuservices portal has already sent out messages to users with the proposal to change addresses on the gmail domain.
The approved amendments are a continuation of the general policy to build the foundations of a sovereign Internet, said Olga Pozdnyakova.
- Last year, the Russian president signed a law banning registration on Russian websites using foreign email services. This rule comes into force on January 1, 2025 and will affect not only Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail and others, but also Google and Apple accounts, - she reminded. - Therefore, in general, it is logical that when making official appeals to the authorities, it is also necessary to use only Russian mail services.
The expert noted the importance of setting additional filters by digital portals of the authorities. Otherwise, according to her, confusion may arise. It is necessary to work out the issue of submitting appeals to foreigners and explaining the Russian order to them.
- Given the speed of reaction of fraudsters to the introduction of restrictions, we should expect an explosive growth in the registration of accounts on domestic mail services, which will also have to strengthen control against spam," Olga Pozdnyakova added.
The document needs to be finalized, believes Artem Evseev, head of Savina Legal's intellectual property, IT and information protection practice.
- It is quite possible that a Russian abroad cannot use his e-mail address in the Russian domain zone due to restrictions," he told Izvestia. - If the initiative is implemented without sufficient elaboration, there may be restrictions in the realization of the right of appeal, especially for citizens located abroad or for foreign applicants.
Maria Yakovleva, director of the Yakovlev & Partners law group, agreed that the restriction on the use of foreign e-mail addresses when applying to the authorities may make it difficult for people outside the country to realize this right.
- If a citizen is unable to contact government agencies because of restrictions on the use of electronic addresses, it may make it difficult or impossible to protect his or her rights," she said.
When adopting the amendments, it is necessary to provide for alternative channels for filing appeals, says Artem Evseev.
- This will avoid possible legal conflicts and claims related to discrimination of applicants on territorial grounds," he said.
Alexander Pavlovsky, a partner at a.t.Legal, suggested that such alternative mechanisms could be consular offices or other official channels of communication.
In his opinion, the introduction of the requirement to use Russian domain names will require finalization of the existing information systems of government agencies. In particular, it will be necessary to ensure the verification of domain names in applicants' e-mail addresses and the correct processing of applications.
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