Seagull: Control of messengers will help in the fight against drugs

The ban on anonymity of messengers users will help in the fight against drug trafficking, said Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika at a meeting of the heads of prosecutor’s services of the Brix countries in Brazil. The report on the official’s speech is posted on the website of the Prosecutor General.

"The organizers of instant messaging are charged with the obligation to ensure their transfer to users identified on the basis of a subscriber number and the relevant agreement. Thus, a massive newsletter of such messages will be limited. We believe that this measure will have a positive impact on counteracting crimes, including illegal drugs," the message said.

In addition, Chaika noted that in Russia in 2016 two -thirds of the “extremist” and every ninth “terrorist” crime were committed using the Internet. Already in 2017, according to the official, the number of crimes committed using modern information and communication technologies increased to 40 thousand, increasing by 26 percent. From 2013 to 2016, the number of crimes committed via the Internet increased six times, from 11 to 66 thousand.

Also, the seagull emphasized, for three and a half years of the Lugovoi Law, which allowed the Prosecutor General’s Office to block the sites out of court, the department banned more than three thousand Internet resources, and the “unlawful” content was removed from 50 thousand pages.

In addition, according to the Prosecutor General, the supervisory authority through the court removes materials from the Internet that "does not contain a direct call for the implementation of terrorist and extremist activity, but no less dangerous." He attributed to such materials a demonstration of methods for the manufacture and use of explosives and "sabotage skills".

On July 30, President Vladimir Putin signed the law on control over instant messengers . Users of these services will have to be identified without fail. Through messengers, it is forbidden to transmit "information distributed in violation of the law." The Service Administration is obliged, at the request of the state, to block the sending of such messages. In addition, authorities receive the right to block the transfer of messages "in cases and the manner determined by the government." Thus, it will be possible to prohibit the distribution of absolutely any information through messengers.