MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Russia’s telecoms watchdog (Roskomnadzor) has recorded about 40 major personal data leaks since the beginning of the year, the regulatory agency’s deputy chief, Milosh Vagner, said on Tuesday.

"This year, we have already recorded about 40 major data leaks; a large amount of data was leaked," he said at the First Russian Data Forum in Moscow.

Vagner suggested that, in order to prevent data leaks, access to big data should only be granted to those companies that can guarantee the security of such data and are prepared to be accountable should a leak occur. "I’m not talking about administrative liability to the state, but about civil liability to individuals," he added.

The watchdog’s spokesperson told TASS in March that the agency had recorded 27 personal data leaks since the start of 2023. In 2022 the agency’s experts recorded over 140 incidents when the personal information of Russian citizens was made freely available or became a bargaining chip.

A new law took effect last September mandating that telecoms operators inform the watchdog about personal data breaches. Since then, the regulatory agency has received 130 reports of data leaks.