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Russian media watchdog says it can't restrict messengers' work as it can't adopt laws

"We have discussed the question with mobile operators and are drafting a number of offers, which may become the ground for future law," head of the Russian media watchdog Alexander Zharov says

© Dmitry Rogulin/TASS Archive

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Russian officials using Google, Yahoo and WhatsApp for work-related purposes unacceptable

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Russia has no plans to bound messengers work in the country, head of the Russian media watchdog Alexander Zharov said on Wednesday.

"Officials do not consider bounding the messengers," Zharov said. "There is no draft, but the problem exists."

According to Zharov, spamming, which is strictly forbidden by the Russian law, has shifted from SMS space, controlled by mobile operators, to messengers, delivering media content over the Internet without the involvement of a multiple-system operator in the control of the information.

"On November 11, WhatsApp messenger faced mass mailing about a number of terrorists off to Moscow and Kazan," Zharov said. "It was fake, but the event had a negative effect. We ban mobile operators from such spamming, so maybe we should do it with OTT-services."

"We have discussed the question with mobile operators and are drafting a number of offers, which may become the ground for future law," Zharov said. "But we do not have the law making right, so now any restrictions of messengers work in Russia are not discussed."

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