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Russia moves to create national messaging app as part of digital services platform

The platform will be integrated with the country’s document service Gosuslugi and the Unified system of identification and authentication

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law which stipulates the creation of a national multifunctional digital service in the country, one of whose functions will be a national messenger app.

The law has been published on the website of legal information. The operator of the new platform will be determined by the Russian government. According to the law, the service is to be created using domestic software, with the number of its daily users expected to exceed 500,000 people.

Russia’s national messenger will be available for communication in Russian, official languages of the republics of the Russian Federation, and other languages of the Russian peoples, as well as for telephone calls. The platform will also run ads in the mentioned languages.

The multifunctional service will also allow users to access government and commercial services. For these purposes, the platform will be integrated with the country’s document service Gosuslugi and the Unified system of identification and authentication. This means that citizens will be able to access official documents through the app, including passports, student ID cards and other documents issued by organizations and government agencies.

Other functions of the platform include its use for signing documents with an enhanced qualified (or unqualified) electronic signature. The application will also serve as a platform for interaction between students and teachers of schools and colleges.

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