Users will be banned from changing gadget numbers

Users will be prohibited from changing the identification numbers of mobile devices (IMEI) linked to their numbers — this follows from the amendments to the law "On Communications" developed by the Ministry of Finance.

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These amendments are part of a large draft law aimed at combating cybercrime, which is currently being worked out in the department. In addition, it is planned to create a single database of mobile devices and introduce blacklists of unique numbers.

"If there are signs of unreliability of information about the identifier or the commission of illegal actions, the specified information is sent to the state information system for countering offenses," the document says.

The legislative ban on IMEI substitution correlates with other proposals to combat cyberbullying and illegal manipulation of gadget identification codes, market participants say.

For example, it became known earlier that in May, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko held a meeting to discuss the development of anti-fraud measures, in particular the unified IMEI registry. With the help of IMEI, operators determine which device is on their network and can track its location.

They use IMEI and bank security services to determine that, for example, a customer is logging into a mobile application, and not a fraudster who replaced a SIM card, explained Karen Ghazaryan, director of the Internet Research Institute.

"IMEI substitution is one of the tools of cybercriminals, which allows, for example, to hide a device that has served as a fraud tool. In addition, the IMEI is also being changed by the owners of SIM boxes used for spam calls, mailing lists, and, again, used in fraudulent contact centers. After this procedure, the device from which the suspicious traffic originated: operators and banks "see" a completely new gadget. A ban on changing IMEI would be one of the most effective tools to combat cybercrime," he explained.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Access code: all mobile devices will be included in one database