Russian government moves to regulate apps

Tightening its control over popular anonymous chat apps, the Russian government has approved regulations that would identify users by their mobile-phone numbers. The measures signed yesterday by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev are part of Russia’s moves to clamp down on services such as Telegram that authorities claim are used by criminals and terrorists. Mobile-phone network operators will be required to confirm the authenticity of a user’s phone number within 20 minutes. If a number cannot be verified, messenger services are required to block users from their platforms. The Russian government will also require network operators to keep track of which messenger apps their users have registered for.