People walk past the headquarters of Sberbank in Moscow, Russia, 16 March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV

The personal data of around 90% of all adult Russian citizens is in the public domain as a result of mass data leaks, state-affiliated business daily RBC reported on Wednesday, citing comments made by the deputy chairman of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank.

Speaking at a security conference in Moscow, Stanislav Kuznetsov said that the situation surrounding the leaks of personal data had “long looked deplorable”, adding that “already around 90% of the adult population, unfortunately, have some personal data in the public domain.”

Sberbank’s analysis revealed that the primary sources of personal data leaks were online stores and medical institutions, while the share of leaks from credit institutions — often thought to be the main source of leaks — was no more than 2%, according to Kuznetsov.

Last year saw the largest amount of personal data become publicly available, with slightly fewer leaks in 2024, Kuznetsov said, though he added that Sberbank had been made aware of a record number of fraudulent calls being made to Russian citizens in 2024.

“At one point, somewhere around February–March, we recorded a peak in phone calls. In total there were about 20 million attempts to call Russian citizens per day. Such a surge in telephone fraud has never been recorded before,” Kuznetsov said.