The deputy chairman of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party, Boris Chernyshov, announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at tightening penalties for unsolicited advertising. The proposal would impose fines reaching up to one million rubles for entities that use advertising calls without proper consent. This reform is framed as a crackdown on intrusive outreach, with the goal of protecting consumer privacy while clarifying how consent should be obtained for marketing communications.
The draft text, obtained by the agency, suggests a precise amendment to the first part of Article 18 of the relevant law. It would add a requirement that advertisers obtain prior consent from the subscriber or recipient before distributing advertisements. The bill also proposes that a consumer may revoke consent at any time by delivering a verbal notification to the ad distributor, stopping further ad distribution from that point forward.
Additionally, the legislation would modify provisions in the Administrative Offenses Code. It would introduce an administrative fine for ad distributors or operators who fail to comply with a subscriber’s revocation of consent delivered verbally. The proposed penalties place fines at up to 150 thousand rubles for legal entities found in violation.
In cases of repeated offenses, the bill outlines escalated penalties for individuals and officials, with fines increasing to 30 thousand rubles for citizens, up to 100 thousand rubles for officials, and from 100 thousand to 200 thousand rubles for legal entities, and potentially up to one million rubles for corporations in recurrent violations.
Vladimir Zykov, who previously directed the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers, commented to socialbites.ca that the current ad environment is masking more dangerous activities. He warned that scammers often hide attempts to extract money and personal data beneath the surface of irritating advertisements, making consumer protection a pressing concern for policymakers and service providers alike.