Personal Data Privacy Can be a Thing of the Past in Russia

While the whole world is still trying to adapt to new requirements of the GDPR, in Russia the situation is totally different, as a draft for amendments to the law on personal data has been submitted for consideration.

According to the proposed amendments, companies will be able to freely transfer confidential customer data. Furthermore, these companies will be able to share their customers’ personal data with other firms without the consumers’ knowledge. An owner’s request on where the data has been transferred will be subject to a processing period of 1 month. This means people will be deprived of a basic human necessity: control over their personal data.

Imagine if you installed an application and filled in your personal data in a form, entrusting it to a company X.

Current laws forbid company X from transmitting information about users to third parties. But what is going to happen if legal amendments come into force that reverse such data-sharing restrictions?

Your data, such as name, gender, age, date of birth, email address, and phone number will be received by third parties who will later use them at their own discretion. You will find tons of emails, unsolicited marketing calls and targeted advertising. Companies no longer need to work hard to collect data: it’s enough for them to collect it from another company.

Let’s remember that beginning June 30, 2018, some banks have begun collecting biometric information for the Unified Biometric System (UBS), which will allow people to confirm their identity without a passport and to remotely open accounts, set deposits, loans and make transfers to any bank.

What is going to happen if banks begin sharing this type of sensitive information?

Our future may turn into something similar to the movie “Minority Report” where targeted advertising is shown to the main characters of the movie according to their biometric indicators.

We are afraid of such a future and committed to retain an ideal world in which people have full control over their confidential data. What about you?

Join #iTrue!