Russian carriers will be required to hand over passengers’ passwords to the authorities

In Russia, carriers will be required to hand over to the authorities data on passengers’ bank cards and telephone numbers, as well as the IP address, e-mail and passwords of the accounts they used to buy tickets. This is reported by “Kommersant” with reference to the draft order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia.

According to the publication’s sources, the document, which will enter into force on September 1, 2024, is unlikely to be amended.

Data from the new databases of personal data of passengers and crew will enter the unified state system of ensuring transport safety. In addition to Rosaviatsia and Rostransnadzor, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have access to it. Even now, passport data, dates and travel routes are recorded in this database.

The Association of Air Transport Operators, which has been uniting Russian air carriers since 1991, has already sent a response to the project of the Ministry of Transport. There, in particular, they emphasized that the login and password of the account are confidential information, they cannot be disclosed without the passenger’s consent, reports Sibir.Realii.

Carriers also fear leakage of user data. Sources of “Kommersant” in the Ministry of Transport claim that the system is well protected and “will allow to quickly calculate criminals.”

• In Russia, the collection and cataloging of personal data of citizens is constantly increasing, including against the background of tightening legislation on military service. Law enforcement agencies already have access to data on taxi rides, online purchases, etc.
• It was also repeatedly reported about the leakage of personal data of Russians as a result of hacking of banking and medical databases and large online ecosystems. Such data has repeatedly been published in open access or put up for sale on the “black market”.