MOSCOW, June 22 (RAPSI) – The State Duma Committee on State-Building and Legislation has recommended the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament to adopt in the first reading a bill making messengers liable for failure to comply with their obligations imposed by the law, the Duma’s official web site reads on Thursday.

The bill envisages to amend the Russian Code of Administrative Offences to the effect that organizers of instant messaging shall be administrative liable if not complying with the obligations imposed on them by the legislation, such a failure entailing fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles (about $50 to $80 at the current exchange rate) for individuals, from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles ($500 to $800) for officials, and from 800,000 to 1million rubles ($13,000 to $17,000) for legal persons.

As it has been reported earlier, on June 14 the State Duma adopted a bill regulating the work of messaging services and prohibiting anonymous use of online messengers in the first reading.

A group of lawmakers submitted the bill to the lower house of Russia’s parliament on May 24. Amendments are proposed to the Federal Law “On Information, Information Technology and Information Protection”.

In particular, the bill obliges organizers of instant messaging to maintain message transmission only of Internet users identified in accordance with a procedure established by Russia’s government and prohibits providers from working with unidentified users.

Moreover, the draft law proposes to identify users with the aid of their cell phone numbers basing on the agreement for identification concluded between organizers of instant messaging and communications providers.

Failure to abide by the regulations would result in fines of up to 5,000 rubles (about $80 at the current exchange rate) for individuals, up to 50,000 rubles ($800) for officials and up to 1 million rubles ($17,000) for companies. Messengers would also face blocking in Russia for failure to comply with requirements to restrict anonymous messaging.