{"id":1343198,"date":"2026-01-11T22:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T20:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/phantom-privacy-russia-has-tightened-control-over-the-online-activity-of-its-citizens\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T22:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T20:33:19","slug":"phantom-privacy-russia-has-tightened-control-over-the-online-activity-of-its-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/phantom-privacy-russia-has-tightened-control-over-the-online-activity-of-its-citizens\/","title":{"rendered":"Phantom privacy: Russia has tightened control over the online activity of its citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Russia, starting January 1, 2026, internet services are required to store all user messages for 3 years. This significantly expands the state’s ability to control, monitor, and access citizens’ private correspondence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was reported by<\/a> the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council.<\/p>\n

Starting in 2026, Russian online platforms must store all audio, video, and text messages from users for 3 years. The requirement also applies to messages that have been deleted.<\/p>\n

Russian law enforcement agencies have been given the right to demand access to this data at any time, significantly increasing state control over users’ private information.<\/p>\n

Officially, the new rules are explained by the need to protect against fraud. At the same time, it is noted that such mechanisms can be used for censorship and pressure on citizens.<\/p>\n

Any messages may become grounds for prosecution on charges of “extremism” or “discrediting the authorities.”<\/p>\n

“This forces people to self-censor, afraid to express their opinions even in private chats. This is how the authorities form a digital state of fear, where control and intimidation become the main method of governance,” the Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized.<\/p>\n

It is noted that previously the storage period for such data in Russia was 1 year.<\/p>\n

By the way, according to the results of 2025 , the Russian Federation ranked first in the world in terms of the total duration of Internet outages<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Recall that Russia is preparing new restrictions on communications, which may affect not only private calls, but also citizens’ access to foreign services.<\/a> Officially, the initiative is presented as a protective measure, but experts warn of serious consequences for freedom of information and communications.<\/p>\n

As reported, Russia has officially approved mass restrictions on mobile internet<\/a> , saying such measures are supposedly needed to counter drones. The Kremlin called the shutdowns \u201cjustified and necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also follow \u201cPryamim\u201d<\/strong> on Facebook<\/a> , Twitter<\/a> , Telegram<\/a> , and Instagram<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Russia, starting January 1, 2026, internet services are required to store all user messages for 3 years. This significantly expands the state’s ability to control, monitor, and access citizens’ private correspondence. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. Starting in 2026, Russian online platforms must […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":577396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76870,76871,76872,76875],"class_list":["post-1343198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","category-news-2","category-news-feed","category-other-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1343198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1343198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1343198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}