Liability for advertising on Telegram, YouTube will not be applied until end of 2026 - Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service

MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - Measures of liability for distributing advertising on Telegram and YouTube will not be applied during a transitional period that will last until the end of 2026, according to a statement from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).

The agency recalled that, according to article 5.10.7 of the law on advertising, the distribution of advertising on information resources, access to which is restricted in accordance with Russian legislation, is not permitted. Information sent by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) is under consideration by the FAS.

At the same time, in connection with the measures taken by Roskomnadzor to restrict access to social platforms, including Telegram and YouTube, the FAS sees signs of a violation of the law in the placement of advertising there. Liability for violation of this provision of the federal law on advertising is borne by both the advertiser and the advertising distributor.

At the same time, advertisers need time to adapt to the new rules; a transitional period is therefore provided, the FAS said.

"It is obvious that business entities need time to adapt to the new rules and reorient themselves to other advertising channels. Therefore, for advertising on Telegram and YouTube, a transitional period until the end of 2026 is needed, during which liability measures for distributing advertising on such resources will not be applied," the FAS said.

At the same time, monitoring of compliance with legislation when placing advertising on platforms for which restrictions were previously introduced (Instagram and Facebook, which are owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist organization in Russia and banned), as well as on VPN services, will continue with the application of appropriate liability measures. The placement of advertising on such resources is not permitted.

The FAS recalled that regarding instances of advertising placement on Telegram and YouTube, it analyzes the content of the advertising, the date of the contract, the date of the introduction of restrictions on the platform's operation, the date of publication and the basis for placement, including contracts and payment orders.