The Ministry of Digital Development has reportedly removed the requirement for owners of foreign internet resources operating in Russia to authorize users in the country solely by phone number from the third set of measures being developed to combat online fraud. “News”. Experts say this is due to the complexity of implementing this provision of the bill.
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In April 2026, it was announced that it was preparing a third set of measures to combat online fraud, called Anti-Fraud 3.0. They plan to submit a corresponding bill to the State Duma this fall.
A previous version of the third draft anti-fraud package stipulated the requirement for owners of foreign Internet resources operating in the Russian Federation to authorize users in that country only through phone numbers. Changes should be made to art. 8 Part 10 of the “Information, Information Technology and Information Protection” Act.
The document also stipulates that such resources are obliged to retain registration, authorization and deletion information of user accounts for three years and to provide this information upon request from authorities conducting business investigation activities or ensuring security. The new version of the bill does not contain these provisions.
A representative from the Ministry of Digital Development said the document was not yet in its final form and discussions were ongoing. “All initiatives are developed taking into account the security balance, the interests of the communications industry, user rights and are designed to enhance the protection of citizens from fraudsters who exploit information technology.” – he said, without specifying why the requirement for mandatory registration by phone number on foreign websites was removed from the bill.
Denis Kuskov, chief executive of Telekom Daily, called the exclusion of the requirement a logical step because imposing the measure on foreign sources would raise too many problems. Alexei Boyko, an independent analyst and author of Telegram channel aloud62, agreed with him, noting that it would be easier for foreign platforms to block access from Russia than to create a separate system to empower Russians.
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