Mobile Phone Providers Will Disclose Subscribers' Personal Data

On May 23, 2011, the Federal Bailiff Service settled an information axchange agreement with three leading Russian mobile phone providers, MTS, Vympelkom and MegaFon. The agreement suggests that the mobile phone companies will provide bailiffs with phone mumbers belonging to debtors subject to executive proceedings.

According to Russian media, mobile phone providers will disclose to the Federal Bailiff Service debtors’ phone numbers, known addresses, passport data, and information on payment amounts for two month before the request date.

In general, the possibility for bailiffs to get debtors; personal data from mobile phone providers is based on recent actual legislation and does not contradict the federal law “On Personal Data”.

However, an agreement of this kind makes to doubt and to be afraid of personal data abuses. It seems important that legal principles of personal data processing should be strictly observed within the agreement in question: information should be requested only if it concerns specific executive proceedings and is necessary for the proceedings to be completed. Data provision without a specific grounded request and without confirmation of circumstances described should be considered as personal data security abuse.