MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Monday, Russian media reported that Russia's Economic Development Ministry had proposed to limit the use of foreign electronic messenger services for state officials and military personnel. WhatsApp, Viber, Skype and Telegram were reportedly proposed for the ban over security concerns over potential cyberattacks and data leaks.
"No decisions in this regard have yet been taken, there is a law on state secrets, which is the foundation for all instructions on working with classified information…There are sufficiently strict regulations of work with classified information already in place in accordance with this law," Peskov told reporters, commenting on the reports.
In April, the Russian presidential administration contacted the Mail.ru Group and the Internet Development Institute, proposing to develop a messenger service for Russian government officials. The Economic Development Ministry also reportedly advised the Russian presidency to commission the creation of a government messenger.
A ban on using foreign messengers could affect over two million people in Russia. There are nearly 1.6 million civil servants and almost 800,000 military personnel in Russia, according to the Finance Ministry.
