CrimeaPRESS reports:
Foreign citizens today undergo re-identification at the offices of telecom operators — in total they own 8.2 million mobile numbers. At the same time, 4.5 million SIM cards whose owners did not show up at the offices at the appointed time and did not pass a data check will be blocked.
As the department explained, in 2024, Roskomnadzor analyzed data on SIM cards of mobile operators and identified 26 million telephone numbers registered to 11.5 million foreign citizens and stateless persons. In accordance with the plan agreed with telecom operators, all foreign citizens are now being re-identified using a special system for monitoring the status of identification modules created by Roskomnadzor.
To date, about 3.8 million foreign citizens, owning a total of 8.2 million numbers, have undergone re-identification at the offices of telecom operators. 4.5 million SIM cards whose owners did not show up at the offices at the set time and did not pass the data check will be blocked— representatives of the department told TASS.
The inspection takes place exclusively in sales offices without the involvement of dealers. Telecom operators must complete the re-verification by the end of November.
The issue of protecting citizens from attackers who use anonymity in communication networks for criminal purposes is today a priority for all relevant departments in Russia, noted Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications.
Unfortunately, today facts of illegal circulation of SIM cards are still recorded — often impersonal or registered in the name of dummy or non-existent persons. The sale of such SIM cards in most cases is carried out by unscrupulous dealers of telecom operators. In particular, there is a mass registration of a large number of telephone numbers for one individual. In 2024, the joint work of Roskomnadzor with telecom operators made it possible to reduce the number of individual subscribers with more than a thousand SIM cards from 920 to 145, and the number of telephone numbers registered on them from 6.5 million to 640 thousand. Also during the year, 13 .4 million active numbers for which telecom operators did not provide information about subscribers — which means all of them could be used by criminals for illegal purposessaid the deputy.
Gaps in legislation previously allowed attackers to use anonymous SIM cards for illegal purposes. To solve pressing problems, Federal Law No. 303-FZ was adopted in August of this year.
Now 25 thousand subscribers — citizens of the Russian Federation, still have more than 20 telephone numbers, the total number of such numbers is 5.3 million. Soon this will become impossible — telecom operators will notify subscribers with an exceeded limit on the number of SIM cards (for Russians — no more than 20, for foreigners — no more than 10). If customers do not reduce their number during the transition period, their mobile communication services will be suspended on all numbers. The period for citizens of the Russian Federation is until November 1, 2025, for foreigners — until July 1, 2025. The application of new legislative measures will significantly reduce the possibility of using mobile networks for criminal purposes, — Nemkin emphasized.
source: press service of the Russian State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin
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