A national messenger with public services will be created in Russia. What you need to know

The information exchange service, which is planned to be created in Russia, will take over the functions of a messenger and a portal of Public Services. On June 10, the deputies of the State Duma in the final reading adopted a federal law that regulates the functionality of the future digital service. Why a Russian messenger is needed, what it will be like and why it is called an analog of Chinese WeChat — in the Izvestia article.

What is the messenger for?

• Legislators call user safety the main goal of creating a new service. Currently, most of the popular messengers used by Russians are foreign—made, and none of them has full protection against hacking and information leaks. In addition, with the change in the policy of the services, there is a risk that foreign intelligence services will gain access to the data of Russian users.

• The creation of a Russian messenger will primarily protect users' data and protect them from fraudsters operating from other countries, who are often difficult to track down and bring to justice. In 2021 alone, the share of fraudulent calls from abroad was 70%.

To rent a room: scammers began to rent accounts of Russians in messengers

The provision of such services is subject to criminal liability.

Who will develop the messenger

• The MAX messenger, developed by VK Holding, will become the platform for creating a multifunctional digital service. Back in March, the corporation announced the launch of a beta version of the MAX platform, which will feature a messenger, mini-applications, a chatbot constructor, and a payment system. The beta version of the service is already available in app stores, and a public presentation of MAX is promised for the summer.

• In the future, the national messenger will allow citizens to verify their identity, present digital documents, and register transactions using a digital signature. Digital tools for schools can be integrated into the platform. VK already has the Spherum service, which is used by educational institutions.

What can the messenger do?

• The new service will be able to confirm age and entitlement to benefits without using paper documents. It will also confirm that the user is undergoing training in general and vocational education programs, and will allow them to check into hotels. The government will be able to supplement the full list of situations when the platform will replace the usual documents.

• It will not be possible to use it only in cases when it comes to ensuring defense, law enforcement, transport security, countering terrorism, and participating in elections and referendums. Paper documents will continue to be valid, in these cases their presentation will remain mandatory.

• With the help of the national messenger, individual entrepreneurs will be able to create their own mini-applications, corporate chats, product catalogs and financial services. The Kremlin has already demanded that the heads of departments support the messenger and transfer all government services to it.

• The future Russian service is already being compared with the Chinese WeChat, which combines the functions of a messenger and a payment instrument. With its help, Chinese residents can pay for purchases, send money, order a taxi, rent an apartment and even build a family — there is a dating service on the platform.