Russia’s Digital Development Ministry is discussing mandatory identification of buyers of hosting services through Gosuslugi, the state services portal, according to Kommersant. The proposal could apply to all such services, including server rentals and dedicated IP addresses.
As reported, the ministry had already proposed in 2023 making verification through Gosuslugi the only way for providers to confirm a customer’s identity. That idea was later softened, and the list of verification methods was expanded. At present, buyers can confirm their identity in several ways, including by email and by paying with a Russian bank card.
Now the ministry is proposing to keep a mandatory link to a verified Gosuslugi account. The stated aim is to ensure that every assigned IP address can be tied to a specific user.
A similar rule already applies to domain names: since September, registering and renewing domains in the .ru, .rf and .su zones has required comparable identification.
If adopted, the measure would likely mean that anyone renting a server or hosting a website with a provider in Russia would have to sign in through Gosuslugi. This would allow the state to connect a specific website, server or IP address to the owner’s personal data, making anonymous use of Russian hosting more difficult.
The change is expected to have a noticeable impact on small websites, developers, bloggers and other private projects. Foreign customers without a Gosuslugi account could also lose access to some services, including purchases or renewals, unless a separate identification procedure is introduced for them.
The proposal is being discussed amid tighter regulation of the sector. Russian hosting providers were previously barred from servicing VPN services, effectively increasing their role in controlling who can be granted hosting capacity.