Search of phones: contents are not required to be shown

Lawyers explain that citizens are not required to show the contents of their phone

Inspections of phones in transport, in addition to the Moscow and St. Petersburg metro, are also carried out in other regions of Russia. This practice began last year, “Vorstka” found out.

In particular, in October 2025, a similar statement about the inspection of phones in transport was made by the Yekaterinburg metro. Citizens were asked to turn on their phones and computers to confirm they were working, similar to what is done at airports.

“The tightening of control over devices is explained by the high probability of using such devices to harm the safety of passengers and the infrastructure of the metro, since they can be used as an explosive device, and explosive or prohibited substances can be carried in the case,” the press service of the Yekaterinburg Metro reported.

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So far, security forces are not interested in the presence of “extremist content”

An interlocutor of “Vestka”, close to the capital’s mayor’s office, said that the inspection is carried out by transport police officers and in Moscow this is not an innovation: they decided to clarify the procedure after St. Petersburg was in the news. Checks of this nature were introduced on the recommendation of the security forces (we’re talking about the FSB - “Vestki”), he continues, but this was specifically about explosive devices, and not a check, for example, under an article on the search for extremist information . The source said that he knows about checks at least in the Belgorod and Murmansk regions.

This practice is reported in different regions, for example, by users under a post by human rights activist Alena Popova. “In Murmansk, at the railway station, they check at the entrance and ask you to unlock the screen to ensure that the phone is working, and we’ve had this for a long time,” writes a user with the nickname Cassie. “In Tula, at the entrance to the railway station in May 2025, they already asked my husband to unlock the screen, he had the phone in his pocket, I had it in my bag, they didn’t say anything. And almost everyone entering the station was asked to unlock the screen,” writes Svetlana.

Another user notes that she has been encountering this at bus stations since last summer, in particular, at the Northern Gate in Moscow Khovrino: “When you pass through the frames, they ask you to show the phone screen with your hands, in lit mode,” she writes. “By the way, when asked, why do you need my screen turned on, they apologize and answer that measures to combat terrorism, you never know what I have there, these are the rules.”

In Tyumen, passengers and visitors to the railway station faced checks back in March 2025: the press service of the Northern Eastern Railway referred to the law on transport security, which “provides for the use of all tools necessary and sufficient to ensure the proper level of security when inspecting passengers.”

Vorstka’s interlocutor in the government of one of the Siberian regions confirmed that they introduced such checks in transport last spring. He assures that the contents of phones are not checked in this way: this requires the drawing up of a protocol and the participation of witnesses.

An interlocutor close to the government of the border Rostov region reported that at transport hubs they may selectively ask to see switched-on phones. He also noted that the recommendation came not only from the Ministry of Transport, but also from the security forces.

The police do not have the right to view the contents of the device

The procedure for such an inspection is prescribed by the order of the Ministry of Transport: “Inspection of radio and television equipment, photo, video and film equipment, audio and video equipment, mobile phones, personal computers, in addition to the use of inspection means, is carried out by switching on and checking functionality.”

Thus, police officers do not have the right to inspect the contents of a smartphone, say lawyers interviewed by Vorstka.

“As I understand it, there is no reason to panic yet. Most likely, this means checks like at the airport - the screen turns on, the system starts,” lawyer Evgeniy Smirnov, who collaborates with the First Department, told Vorstka. — To avoid using phones as dummies when an explosive device is placed inside a non-working device. Formally, nothing is said about access to the contents of the phone; no one can demand it.”

Lawyer Leonid Solovyov recalled that the order of the Ministry of Transport cannot repeal Article 23 of the Constitution, which guarantees the secrecy of correspondence. “This order of the Ministry of Transport has actually been in effect for a long time - performance checks at airports took place before this. View correspondence, personal data, etc. is already a different action,” the lawyer emphasized.

This information was confirmed by State Duma deputy from the New People faction Oleg Leonov. He said that security in the metro will have the right to check the functionality of passengers' phones, but not their correspondence, photos and applications.

On January 29, the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Kirill Polyakov, was asked on a direct line about searches in the metro. Polyakov explained that sometimes passengers are asked to turn on the smartphone screen, Fontanka writes . He emphasized that the security service is not interested in what exactly is installed on a person’s phone, and they are not asking him to unlock it.

On Monday, February 2, the press service of the Moscow metro officially notified about the inspections. “The inspection is carried out selectively by turning on and checking the functionality of the smartphone. Passengers are now being screened through metal detectors, as well as having their luggage inspected,” the metro said in a statement. At the same time, officials refer to Order No. 34 of the Ministry of Transport, adopted on February 4, 2025.

We would like to remind you that Vorstka previously reported that the authorities plan to apply fines for searching for “extremist” content, mainly “specifically targeting target people.” However, it’s a good idea to know how to hide sensitive information on your device from strangers.

Photo: A policeman checks his phone. Texterra.ru

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