The Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Boris Chernyshov, addressed Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, with a proposal to grant the agency under his supervision the authority to compel non state data operators to remove personal information about citizens from public domain upon request. This move comes as discussions highlight a sharp increase in the exposure of users’ personal data in recent years, with numbers rising dramatically according to parliamentary briefings cited by RT.
The proposal argues for a one stop service system that would not only reduce the administrative burden on citizens seeking to revoke access to their personal data held by operators, but also tighten oversight of corporate data handling and curb information leaks into the internet. The aim is to create a streamlined process that empowers individuals while enhancing accountability across organizations that manage personal data.
Chernyshov reminded lawmakers that under federal law 152-FZ On Personal Data, every citizen maintains the right to withdraw consent to the processing of personal information. Yet the practical utility of the right to be forgotten has remained limited in Russia, as noted by the deputy, because search engines have not consistently applied this right to remove public access to data attached to individuals. This gap in implementation has led to calls for stronger tools that would enforce this privacy right more effectively across digital platforms.
In a related thread, Artem Sheikin, Vice President of the Digital Economy Development Council of the Federation Council, urged citizens in July to promptly update their social media passwords. The goal is to reduce the risk of compromised accounts spreading across multiple platforms and to safeguard personal information from repeated exposure online.
There were also reports from Moscow 24 indicating cases of fraud tied to the same department. In these instances, attackers impersonated officials to justify the liquidation of a financial pyramid or to justify actions aimed at selling nutritional supplements, drugs, or household appliances. The incidents underscore the ongoing challenges in protecting financial and personal data from misuse and the need for robust regulatory safeguards and enforcement.
Taken together, these developments reflect a broader debate about how best to balance individual privacy rights with the needs of public and commercial digital ecosystems. Advocates argue that empowering a centralized authority to enforce data removal could reduce leaks and improve trust in digital services, while critics emphasize the importance of due process and the potential for overreach in data deletion requests. Across the conversation, the emphasis remains on strengthening transparency, accountability, and practical privacy protections for users in North America and beyond, with careful attention to how these policies intersect with global data flows and enforcement practices.