Ahead of spring military draft, Russian state bureaucracy portal stops letting users delete their data

The Russian state bureaucracy portal Gosuslugi (“State Services”) has disabled the option that allowed users to delete their profile data. The change happened shortly after the Defense Ministry announced that it would begin sending electronic conscription summonses to eligible people this spring.

Visitors to the government website have noticed that the button for deleting one’s profile is gone. The mobile app responds to deletion requests with a message that the “function is unavailable.” Instructions for deleting one’s personal data from the portal have also disappeared from its Help page.

Technical support is telling users that deleting their accounts is only possible if a user submits a “personal request.”

Earlier on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that, as part of the spring conscription drive, draft offices would begin delivering summonses electronically.

The Russian law requires that a draft summons must be delivered in person and signed by the recipient. Potential conscripts can therefore legally ignore electronic notices.