Entered SMS spam in the law. The State Duma approved rules of mailing of messages

The State Duma adopted in the first reading the bill on fight against SMS spam


The State Duma adopted in the first reading the bill on fight against SMS spam. Mass or automatic sending short text or other not voice messages has to be carried out only from a prior consent of the subscriber, deputies consider.

On May 23 the State Duma adopted the amendments to the law "About Communication" made by senator Ruslan Gattarov in the first reading. Now in the law there will be such concept, as "mailing on a network of mobile radiotelephone (cellular) communication of short text or other not voice messages". Criteria of such mailing offer to make mass character, automatic character, and also use of short and alphabetic numbers which are not provided by the Russian system of numbering. Mass or automatic sending short text or other not voice messages on a plan of mister Gattarov has to be carried out only from a prior consent of the subscriber and on the basis of the contract signed with the operator to which subscribers it is directed. Deputies considered a wish of the government which, in turn, suggested to oblige the operator to stop mailing if about it the subscriber asks.

From mobile spam, Ruslan Gattarov specified earlier, 76% of users of cellular communication suffer. From them 65% regularly receive SMS mailings, about 2% – advertizing calls. 9% of users receive spam both in the form of calls, and in the form of the SMS.

In the fall of last year operators started fighting against SMS spam independently. In November "MegaFon" and "Tele2 Russia" began to block mailing to the subscribers of messages from short and alphabetic and symbolical numbers, whose owners have no direct contract with operators. Banks had no such contracts, and as a result a number of subscribers could not make transaction on the Internet for which it was required to receive the one-time password according to the SMS. In December started blocking the SMS from short and alphabetic numbers also MTS. The taken measures led to reduction of quantity of SMS spam, but not to its disappearance. Spam began to come from usual ten-digit numbers or foreign. However by the current legislation operators have to deliver all SMS sent from usual ten-digit numbers even if know that is spam.

In MTS, "MegaFon", "Vympelcom" and the Tele2 Russia company (together serve more than 95% of the cellular market) support amendments. Approval of the bill will allow to block mailings from any numbers, even to what the subscriber agreed (but, for example, over time they to it did not eat up), the representative of one of operators noted.

The chairman of Association of providers of mobile services and content Nadezhda Antsiferova says that in general association support amendments, in particular emergence of definition of spam. At the same time, according to her, the bill creates risks for operators, content providers and those to whom SMS mailings are necessary. "Unclear, who will request the subscriber's consent where and as to store it", – she specifies. For the last year there was a rise in price of SMS mailings at operators, the prices raised at 10-15 times, because of it the part of mailings went to a "grey" zone.

Now content providers dispatch about 1 billion SMS a month, is as much dispatched from operators, madam Antsiferova estimates. Sees risks for the market in amendments and the general director of i-Free Vasily Kuntsevich. "Unclear, as contracts will be signed, after all the providers specializing on the SMS informing services serve on some thousands of the companies. It is difficult to present as operators will sign direct contracts with each of these companies", – he notes.



Anna Balashova
Businessman
 No. 88 of 26.05.14