Russia Plans to Add Social Media Features to Gosuslugi Government Services Portal
Russian officials are discussing plans to integrate social media features into the Gosuslugi public services portal, including family chats, interest-based communities, and a news feed, as part of a broader digital ecosystem.
The Russian government is planning to expand the Gosuslugi public services portal into a universal digital ecosystem. The office of Deputy Prime Minister and Government Chief of Staff Dmitry Grigorenko told the state news agency TASS that discussions are underway about adding social media features.
According to officials, Gosuslugi has a key advantage: every user is reliably verified, enabling a trusted level of interaction among citizens, businesses, and government agencies. However, a final decision on the development strategy has not been made, and talks are ongoing.
The pro-Kremlin news outlet Izvestia reported on July 22, citing sources, that officials are discussing adding family chats, interest-based communities, and a news feed covering cultural, sports, tourism, and volunteer events. Plans also include a rewards system that would let users earn bonuses and gifts from partners for using the platform's services.
The proposed changes are part of a Gosuslugi development strategy through 2035, though sources cautioned that these remain only plans and no final decision has been made. Russian authorities had previously announced plans to turn Gosuslugi into a so-called superapp. The best-known superapp is considered to be China’s WeChat, which combines a messenger, a social network, a search engine, a payment system, and many other functions, such as food delivery. The developers of the Max messenger have also positioned their own product as a superapp. WeChat offers vast opportunities for tracking users’ activity, primarily by the authorities.
