MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill on fines for failure to comply with legislation regulating activity of messenger services into law.

The document’s version has been published on the official website of legal information.

According to the law, individuals may be fined up to 5,000 rubles (about $85), officials may be fined up to 50,000 rubles (about $850) and legal entities may face fines of up to 1 million rubles (about $17,000). Entrepreneurs acting without organizing a legal entity will face administrative liability as if they did.

The law is to take effect on January 1, 2018.

In July, President Putin signed law regulating the work of messaging services and prohibiting anonymous use of online messengers.

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

Moreover, the legislation 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.

Messengers would also face blocking in Russia for failure to comply with requirements to restrict anonymous messaging.