In Russia
🔍 Yandex and VK to Collect Viewer Data
The Ministry of Digital Development has selected intermediaries to handle the transfer of online cinema user activity data to Mediascope.
The chosen companies are Yandex and VK. The agreement was reached at a closed meeting at the ministry on March 5.
According to the draft order, video services will be required to share:
- Permanent user identifiers (IDs based on phone numbers);
- Detailed viewing data, including which films and series each viewer watches.
The ministry explains that this expanded data collection is necessary to “refine statistics.” Yandex representatives assure that all information will be transmitted to intermediaries exclusively in encrypted form.
Experts, however, remain skeptical. Their main concern is the risk of data leaks: previous security incidents have been recorded at some of the companies that may participate in the data transfer chain.
