Russia is taking another major step toward a fully state-controlled Internet, with lawmakers advancing a proposal that would make the country’s biometric and digital ID systems mandatory for all online age verification.
If approved, the plan would effectively eliminate online anonymity in Russia.
It will force citizens to verify their identity through government-run systems every time they access “adult” or “potentially harmful” content.
The proposal, discussed on October 28, is being promoted as a child protection initiative.
However, critics warn it’s the latest front in Moscow’s long campaign to bring the internet under total state supervision.
Officials claim the measure is meant to block minors from viewing pornography, violent media, and what they call “propaganda of antisocial behavior.”
But the definition of restricted content is so broad that it could easily encompass political speech, satire, or dissent.
Government-Controlled Verification Network
At the core of the plan is Gosuslugi, the Kremlin’s main digital services portal, already the hub for state identification and citizen tracking.
The system connects directly to Russia’s Unified System of Identification and Authentication (ESIA) and the Unified Biometrics System (UBS).
Both are controlled by the federal government.
State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin, a former FSB officer, said the networks “could be used to verify age without directly transmitting passport data to third-party platforms.”
In practice, that means the state becomes the mandatory middleman between every Russian citizen and the Internet by granting or denying access based on biometric verification.
Digital ‘Sovereignty’ or Total Surveillance?
Digital rights experts say the policy continues a decade-long erosion of online privacy in Russia.
Since 2012, Moscow has justified one new layer of censorship after another under the banner of “protecting children.”
Each expansion has given the state deeper insight into citizens’ private digital activity.
The new proposal aligns with Russia’s drive for “digital sovereignty,” a strategy to isolate and control the country’s Internet ecosystem while cutting off foreign platforms and anonymizing tools.
Andrei Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, recently declared that online anonymity in Russia will disappear entirely within “three years, five at most.”
This new system would accelerate that goal by ensuring every citizen’s online behavior is directly tied to a verified digital identity stored in state databases.
A Centralized Record of Private Behavior
If implemented, Russians would be forced to log in through ESIA whenever they view content labeled as adult, even if that label is applied vaguely or politically.
The result would be a permanent, state-controlled record linking personal identities to private browsing and consumption habits, handing authorities unprecedented surveillance power.
Meanwhile, governments in other countries have tested various age-verification technologies.
However, Russia’s model stands apart for its total dependence on centralized biometric databases and direct government oversight.
Analysts say it’s not just about shielding minors; it’s about normalizing constant identity checks, building a digital framework where the Kremlin can monitor, restrict, or punish online behavior at will.
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