Population correspondence: social media functions will be added to Gosuslugi

The authorities want to add a number of social media functions to Gosuslugi — family chats, communities and a news feed about events. It is planned to introduce so—called achievements - achievements for actions within the platform with gifts from partners. Such plans are being discussed in the government, Izvestia found out. The office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko clarified that the updated "Public Services" may provide an opportunity for interaction between users, business and the state. They also confirmed the course towards the development of a universal ecosystem based on the portal within the framework of the strategy until 2035, but noted that final decisions have not yet been made. What will change in Gosuslugi is in the Izvestia article.

New functions will be added to Gosuslugi

The government is discussing a strategy for the development of Public Services until 2035. Among the ideas is to integrate a social network with local communities, an event aggregator and family chats into the portal. This was reported to Izvestia by two sources involved in the discussion.

Several development concepts are currently being considered. The priority is the transformation of a single portal into a universal digital platform for living, communicating and receiving services. The strategy is being developed by the government staff.

One of the likely options is to launch your own social network with a live feed and the ability to create thematic communities. The source of Izvestia confirmed the authenticity of the materials describing these proposals.

The creation of family services, including trusted chats for loved ones, is also being discussed. People will be able to use a common calendar of events, as well as arrange separate public services for loved ones or on their behalf.

Another area will be the aggregator of cultural, sports, tourism and volunteer events. Through Gosuslugi, you will be able to create your own events, invite friends and like-minded people, and receive personal recommendations. In addition, the introduction of so—called achievements is being discussed - a system of achievements for using the platform's services with the ability to receive bonuses and gifts from partners.

The main vector of development of Gosuslug is the creation of a universal digital ecosystem for citizens, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko, who oversees the development of a single portal, confirmed.

— Gosuslug has an important advantage — every user is reliably verified. Due to this, it becomes possible to maximize secure interaction between people, businesses and government agencies. We are working to realize the potential of the platform in this direction," Grigorenko's press service emphasized.

The development strategy is planned to be implemented until 2035, but the main changes await Gosuslugi over the next few years, the Izvestia source concluded.

The editorial board sent a request to the Ministry of Finance about the prospects for the development of the platform.

Why do the authorities want to develop an ecosystem based on "Public Services"

Gosuslugi has long ceased to be just a platform for processing documents and obtaining certificates, said Vladimir Maslov, Director of the Digital Development Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Finance. According to him, the platform has already outgrown the format of "citizen—state" interaction, so the logical step is to create a space for communication between users, businesses and various organizations.

Today, the portal unites about 120 million Russians with verified accounts, German Klimenko, Chairman of the Board of the Digital Economy Development Fund, recalled. When a service gathers such an audience and understands its needs well, new functions gradually appear around it, and it turns into a full-fledged ecosystem.

This trend is confirmed by the experience of the largest Russian technology companies, added Karen Ghazaryan, Director of Analytics at ANO Digital Economy. Yandex and Sberbank have been developing their applications as universal platforms for a long time, combining financial services, shopping, navigation, entertainment and communications. According to him, the authorities are moving along a similar path, striving to create a single digital space for citizens to interact with government services and trusted partners.

What does this mean for businesses and users of the platform?

Expanding the capabilities of Gosuslug will allow organizations to interact with the widest audience in the country, Vladimir Maslov believes. Through the platform, it will be possible to inform users about events, educational programs, social projects and other initiatives, as well as find an interested audience faster.

For businesses, the transformation of Gosuslug into a social platform opens up access to a huge audience with an already proven identity and visible life needs, said Freedom Global analyst Vladimir Chernov. The main value here is the ability to offer goods and services at the right time. For example, after registration of the birth of a child, a person can be offered related services, and after registration of real estate, housing insurance or other required services.

The new model may be especially useful for charities and social organizations, Vladimir Maslov added. Thanks to the huge audience of Gosuslug, they will be able to significantly expand the reach of their projects and quickly find people who really need help or who are willing to participate in social initiatives.

For ordinary users, the portal can become a daily digital assistant, Karen Ghazaryan believes. In addition to registering government services, here you can follow events in your region, receive personal recommendations and have access to partner services.

However, the development of such an ecosystem inevitably raises the issue of user protection, German Klimenko warned. According to him, along with convenience, new risks appear, so it is necessary to determine in advance how deeply the business will be able to interact with the Public Services audience and how to protect people from spam and intrusive messages.

On the other hand, according to Vladimir Maslov, only services and organizations that have been verified will be able to access Gosuslugi, so people will understand that they are interacting with official and verified persons.

At the same time, it is important to adhere to clear principles in the development of a social network based on Gosuslug, Klimenko concluded. The most important one is the absolute voluntary participation and the ability to control which services and communications a person receives. People should choose this platform for its functionality and convenience.