Verkhovna Rada to Consider Draft Law on Control of Telegram Messenger in Ukraine
On March 25, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered draft law No. 11115, which is supposed to regulate the activities of the Telegram messenger in the country.
MPs propose to amend the Law of Ukraine “On Media”. The main difference will be the allocation of “information sharing platforms” providers as new entities in the media sector, which messengers fall under.
The draft law, in particular, obliges such platforms:
- post the terms of use of the service and prohibit the dissemination of information that violates the laws of Ukraine;
- Ensure the presence of a representative of the platform for communication in Ukraine (if there is no such representative in the EU);
- restrict the distribution of illegal content at the request of the National Council;
- implement mechanisms for handling user complaints about content;
- disclose the ownership structure and sources of funding at the request of the National Council;
- not to process personal data of children for commercial purposes.
Government agencies, institutions, banks and other financial institutions will be prohibited from using platforms with an opaque ownership structure or that violate the new requirements to disseminate information. It is also not allowed to install software from these providers on company devices.
In addition, the National Council should publish a list of “prohibited” platforms, programs and services on its website.
Why MPs want to regulate Telegram
According to the explanatory note, the current Law “On Media” did not fully regulate the issue of platforms for disseminating mass information, including Telegram. In the context of Russian aggression, the use of such platforms may pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security.
In addition, Telegram may still be linked to the Russian authorities.
The draft law is intended to provide government agencies with tools to regulate these platforms.
