Russia Wants to Ditch Endless Consent Forms and Rewrite Its Data Privacy Rules
The country’s internet regulator says the current system no longer protects users — and is drafting a new, sector-based approach to handling personal data.
Russia is preparing a major overhaul of how companies and government agencies collect personal data. The country’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has proposed scrapping the long-standing system of mass user consents and replacing it with industry-specific privacy standards.
Roskomnadzor chief Andrey Lipov called the current rules “outdated,” arguing that it’s nearly impossible for people to keep track of all the permissions they’ve granted or to challenge how their data is used. The new framework, he said, will give users more control and reduce the flood of meaningless “I agree” clicks that dominate digital life.
New Rules for Every Industry
The agency told Kommersant FM that the proposal has already gained “conceptual support” from several federal ministries. Each sector — from education and healthcare to housing and tourism — would be governed by its own standards, defining what data can be collected, how long it can be stored, when it must be deleted, and the legal grounds for processing it.
The reform would primarily target industries that process large amounts of personal data, such as public services and social programs. If approved, the move would mark a significant shift in Russia’s digital policy — one that aims to modernize data protection while tightening state oversight of how information flows across the country’s rapidly growing online infrastructure.
