Digital subscription agreement will become more transparent for citizens
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 4:12 am
Bill No. 405607-8 "On Amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation of February 7, 1992 No. 2300-1 "On the Protection of Consumer Rights" (in terms of providing consumers with full information on the terms of the subscriber agreement (digital subscription services) providing for payment in periodic payments)" was presented by State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin on September 17 at a plenary session of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. During his speech, he noted that digital services do not sufficiently notify subscribers about the services provided, payment terms and methods of termination.
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On September 17, the State belarus whatsapp number databa se Duma of the Russian Federation will begin considering a bill to increase the transparency of digital subscriptions. One of the co-authors of the bill, deputy Anton Nemkin, believes that users most often fall into subscription traps due to the lack of notifications from services about subscription renewals or their improper content.
"Our amendments are aimed at providing additional guarantees to users, as well as clarifying the responsibilities of providers of such services, who must provide full information about the terms of service provision and methods of refusing it before concluding an agreement," said Anton Nemkin.
According to him, the bill will oblige digital services to "clearly and clearly" disclose the terms of the contract to the consumer, such as the terms, cost and form of refusal of the service, up to the indication of the web page on which this can be done. In addition, Anton Nemkin proposed introducing a rule according to which the subscription will be valid until the end of the paid period, regardless of the date of refusal of the service, in order to avoid abuse by the subscriber. An exception will be the discrepancy between the services and the declared parameters.
"We discussed these proposals at the sites of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation with representatives of Rospotrebnadzor and industry associations representing the interests of subscription services. We believe that the amendments will make relations between services and consumers more transparent, reduce the number of legal disputes and contribute to increasing the digital literacy of the population," said Anton Nemkin.
Independent expert on IT and telecom markets Vadim Plesskiy believes that the deputies’ initiative is interesting, but the question remains: how exactly will it be implemented and who will monitor its implementation?
"Perhaps it would be simpler and better to ban subscription services in mobile operator networks by law. With the current level of development of technologies such as messengers and push messages, there is no point in subscription services," said Vadim Plesskiy.
Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, noted that subscriptions are largely opaque and that an attempt to unsubscribe from the service could turn into a "quest with many unknowns" for many of the service's clients.
"The demand for government regulation has been long overdue. Over time, clear regulations for digital subscriptions will appear, and I am sure that with greater transparency in this matter, we will all live a little better," concluded Eldar Murtazin.
Read also
On September 17, the State belarus whatsapp number databa se Duma of the Russian Federation will begin considering a bill to increase the transparency of digital subscriptions. One of the co-authors of the bill, deputy Anton Nemkin, believes that users most often fall into subscription traps due to the lack of notifications from services about subscription renewals or their improper content.
"Our amendments are aimed at providing additional guarantees to users, as well as clarifying the responsibilities of providers of such services, who must provide full information about the terms of service provision and methods of refusing it before concluding an agreement," said Anton Nemkin.
According to him, the bill will oblige digital services to "clearly and clearly" disclose the terms of the contract to the consumer, such as the terms, cost and form of refusal of the service, up to the indication of the web page on which this can be done. In addition, Anton Nemkin proposed introducing a rule according to which the subscription will be valid until the end of the paid period, regardless of the date of refusal of the service, in order to avoid abuse by the subscriber. An exception will be the discrepancy between the services and the declared parameters.
"We discussed these proposals at the sites of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation with representatives of Rospotrebnadzor and industry associations representing the interests of subscription services. We believe that the amendments will make relations between services and consumers more transparent, reduce the number of legal disputes and contribute to increasing the digital literacy of the population," said Anton Nemkin.
Independent expert on IT and telecom markets Vadim Plesskiy believes that the deputies’ initiative is interesting, but the question remains: how exactly will it be implemented and who will monitor its implementation?
"Perhaps it would be simpler and better to ban subscription services in mobile operator networks by law. With the current level of development of technologies such as messengers and push messages, there is no point in subscription services," said Vadim Plesskiy.
Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, noted that subscriptions are largely opaque and that an attempt to unsubscribe from the service could turn into a "quest with many unknowns" for many of the service's clients.
"The demand for government regulation has been long overdue. Over time, clear regulations for digital subscriptions will appear, and I am sure that with greater transparency in this matter, we will all live a little better," concluded Eldar Murtazin.