The transfer of payment information to Telegram was limited for a number of organizations

The transfer of payment information and personal data through foreign instant messengers, including via Telegram, has been restricted since March 1 for a number of organizations in Russia.

At the end of December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that limits the use of foreign messengers in the provision of public services and in the sale of services and goods by banks and state-owned enterprises from March 1, 2023. So, through them it will be impossible to send payment documents, personal data of Russians, information about transfers and deposits in banks. It will also be forbidden to connect systems that provide money transfers to foreign messengers.

It is also prohibited to connect other information systems to foreign messengers, which provide the possibility of transferring funds of citizens of the Russian Federation.

At the end of February, it was reported that the Association of Banks of Russia intends to apply to Roskomnadzor with a request not to prohibit credit institutions from providing their services through Telegram. In addition, in February, the head of the Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, said that the regulator does not see additional technological risks in the provision of services by banks through this messenger, but credit institutions should take into account that fraudsters often use it as a means of communication, and provide for protective mechanisms.

As follows from the list of foreign entities operating on the Internet in the territory of the Russian Federation, the Telegram messenger was included in it on November 22, 2021. The list as a foreign resource includes social networks Twitter, TikTok, Likee, Discord, Zoom video conferencing service, Viber messenger, Spotify audio streaming service, Twitch streaming service and YouTube video hosting.