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Russia’s ‘big four’ mobile carriers agree on parental controls for web content

Russia's major mobile carriers with over 100 million clients in total will offer users internet filters
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Maxim Shemetov
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW, October 10 (Itar-Tass) - Four Russian federal telecommunications operators - VimpelCom (Beeline brand), MegaFon, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and Rostelecom have acceded to the agreement on the voluntary informing the Internet users about parental control systems, the Federation Council upper house of parliament said in a press release.

“The agreement has been supported by all the “big four” operators that provide services to a total of more than 100 million subscribers,” the release says. All the operators that have signed the agreement are developing the “parental control” services that make it possible by software-based methods to filter Internet content that is not suitable for children.

The Federation Council on September 12 published on its website the agreement “On the voluntary informing the Internet users about parental control systems.” It suggests that the parties to the agreement are ready to support initiatives to ensure children’s safety on the Internet in terms of the development of measures to inform people about the benefits and opportunities of using the parental control systems and installing filters that block the unsuitable content.

The decision to develop the agreement was passed by the Federation Council on August 27 at a meeting of representatives of the commission for the development of the information society with telecom operators, Internet corporations, service providers and software developers. The meeting participants discussed the bill aimed at promoting the “parental control” system that FC member Ruslan Gattarov had introduced to the State Duma in February. The meeting participants agreed not wait when the law comes into force, and to develop an open voluntary agreement on informing the subscribers to which all the concerned market participants would be able to accede.