The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia has moved a draft federal law that would require labeling of all incoming calls to curb spam. The proposal, announced by Dmitry Tur, head of the department overseeing state regulation of the telecommunications market, envisions a structured system that makes telecommunication interactions more transparent for users and more accountable for providers. The aim is to reduce nuisance calls and build trust in legitimate business communications while protecting user privacy and maintaining fair market competition.
A centralized, interoperable database would be created to host call tags that carriers can update as needed. Operators would access this shared registry and adjust tags for a given call in real time, with the process governed by established regulatory and market principles rather than brand-new, untested rules. The system would work across mobile and fixed lines, ensuring consistent labeling whether the call comes from a small firm or a large corporation. The government would set the exact criteria determining what information appears on the screen when a call arrives.
Under the draft, every call issued by a legal entity or as part of mass outreach would be labeled. If a company initiates a call, the recipient would see a clear description of the call’s purpose on their screen, such as marketing, account confirmation, or service notification. The intent is to give people immediate context and reduce the guesswork that currently leads to hangups and missed opportunities. This labeling would rely on information the caller is willing to disclose to the operator to ensure accuracy.
The move is justified by research from the Stolypin Institute showing that Russian businesses lose substantial sums each year because customers avoid answering calls from unfamiliar numbers, particularly when the caller’s identity and purpose are unclear. The analysis identifies foreign-number calls as especially problematic for local firms seeking to reach customers. The study estimates losses at roughly 236 billion rubles, reflecting a broader pattern of consumer risk aversion toward unsolicited or opaque communications.
Officials say the service would be offered free of charge to all subscribers. At the same time, legal entities would be required to provide accurate information about their company to the telecom operator so the system can tag calls correctly. The approach balances consumer convenience with corporate responsibility, ensuring legitimate businesses can reach customers while reducing friction caused by unlabeled or mislabelled calls.
At the start of October, the ministry introduced the draft law with the intention of compelling mobile carriers to block anonymous spam calls if the caller’s purpose is not disclosed. In practice, this would mean a gatekeeping function that prevents certain unsolicited calls from reaching end users unless the organization behind the call has submitted verifiable identifying information. The policy envisions a controlled rollout with clear regulatory criteria to prevent over-blocking legitimate outreach.
Earlier statements highlighted that untagged calls have been a drain on the Russian business environment, contributing to lost time and customer churn. The bill seeks to turn labeling into a standard practice to improve the reliability of telecommunication channels for business interactions and consumer outreach alike. Supporters argue that transparent labeling can help consumers decide whether to answer a call, while enabling marketers to tailor messages responsibly within a formal framework.
While the plan is tailored to Russia’s telecom market, it resonates with ongoing discussions in Canada and the United States about caller identity, spam reduction, and consumer protection. In North America, regulators and carriers have pursued stronger caller ID practices and more robust screening of suspicious numbers, recognizing that trust in voice channels is foundational for commerce. The Russian proposal adds its own design choices, seeking to harmonize labeling with market principles and to maintain open channels for legitimate business communications.
Ultimately the draft aims to balance safeguarding users from spam with ensuring that legitimate communications can reach customers efficiently. If adopted, the labeling system could alter how businesses design outreach campaigns, how operators allocate resources, and how consumers decide which calls to answer. The government will need to monitor the impact on spam, user experience, and the accuracy of call metadata, adjusting criteria and processes as needed to protect both privacy and commercial activity.