Government databases: how state agencies link information about a person
Russia’s state databases have stopped being a set of isolated registers and in recent years have developed into connected infrastructure. A citizen identifier — the SNILS + INN pair — enables data to be “stitched together” between the Federal Tax Service, the Pension Fund of Russia, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, educational institutions, banks, and telecom operators. The technical interface for this stitching is the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA) and the Gosuslugi (Госуслуги) portal.
For the user, this means convenience — one account for most state and commercial services. For the system, it means connectedness — data about a person from different sources can be combined into a single profile, with measures applied to it, from a tax deduction to restrictions after a summons, without a separate request to each agency.
Below is a map of the main connections, what makes them work, what role the Unified Biometric System plays, and what risks arise from a single access point.
In brief
- ESIA (Gosuslugi) is the single sign-on point for most state services and many commercial services.
- Identifier “keys”: SNILS, INN, passport. These are used to link data between agencies.
- Main nodes of the digital profile: Federal Tax Service, Pension Fund / Social Fund, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, banks, telecom operators.
- The Unified Biometric System (UBS) is a separate biometrics database that can be used for remote identification in banks.
- The summons register receives data from several sources and sends it to banks, Rosreestr, and the traffic police.
- Compromise of a Gosuslugi account gives access to a large part of the digital profile at once.
How the database links are structured
Data connectedness is provided not by one central database, but by a set of regular interagency exchanges and a unified identification system.
ESIA as the entry point
A Gosuslugi account is a record in ESIA. Through it, a citizen logs in not only to gosuslugi.ru, but also to many state and commercial sites that use ESIA as an identity provider. More details are in the Gosuslugi help page about digital ID.
Identifier “keys”
Data stitching between agencies is built on stable identifiers. SNILS is the main one for the Pension Fund, the Ministry of Health, and the military registration register. INN is used by the Federal Tax Service and banks. Passport data is used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and notaries. For one person, all three “keys” usually match in a single account.
Unified Biometric System
The UBS is a database separate from Gosuslugi, intended for remote identification in banks and other services by voice and photograph. Submitting biometrics is voluntary. Refusing biometrics is a separate procedure that does not affect other services.
Interagency exchange
Regulated regular data exports between agencies keep data up to date. For example, the summons register receives data from the Federal Tax Service (employment), the Pension Fund (work history and dependents), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (registration, driver’s licence), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (education), and the Ministry of Health (fitness category).
Map of the main connections
| Entry point | Where it gives access | What compromise may affect |
|---|---|---|
| Gosuslugi / ESIA | Federal Tax Service, Pension Fund, Rosreestr, traffic police, summons register | A large part of the digital profile at once |
| Federal Tax Service (personal account) | Taxes, income, property, bank accounts | Financial profile |
| Bank (with login through ESIA) | Payments, credit history, movement of funds | Finances and transactions |
| Telecom operator | Billing, geolocation, contacts | Communications profile |
| UBS | Remote identification in banks by biometrics | Biometric key to a number of services |
| Summons register | Military enlistment office, restrictions in banks, Rosreestr, traffic police | Military registration measures |
How to check right now
It makes sense to start with a basic audit of the Gosuslugi account: which applications and services have permissions through ESIA (the “All settings” — “Consents and powers of attorney” section), whether two-factor authentication is enabled, and whether contact details and the linked phone number are up to date.
At the same time, check whether your name has appeared in public wanted registers. Search of the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted register based on Mediazona data is available on the Wanted Radar home page.
Lists under a special legal regime, for example the list of terrorists and extremists, are maintained by the relevant agencies — Rosfinmonitoring (Росфинмониторинг). The documents and list composition are published on the agency’s website.
Check a full name in the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted register
The main risk is a single point of failure
In an architecture where one account opens access to dozens of services, the risk is concentrated in that account. Compromise of the Gosuslugi password and control channel (SMS, email) potentially gives access to financial information, the summons register, issuance of an electronic signature, and submission of applications on behalf of the citizen.
This is not a reason to panic, but it is an argument for basic digital hygiene: a unique password, two-factor authentication, preferably through an app rather than SMS, and regular checking of the list of authorised applications and services.
What to do next
- Enable two-factor authentication for the Gosuslugi account.
- Check and delete unnecessary “consents” and linked applications in the personal account.
- Use a unique password for Gosuslugi, and do not reuse passwords from other services.
- Regularly check data about yourself in key registers: Federal Tax Service, Pension Fund, summons register.
- If biometrics are not needed for specific tasks, consider the procedure for opting out of the UBS.
- Keep copies of important documents and correspondence with state bodies outside the Gosuslugi perimeter.
Disclaimer: this material is informational and is not legal advice. The architecture of state databases, the composition of ESIA services, and the rules for the UBS are regulated by legal acts, the composition of which may be updated. For a specific situation, contact a lawyer or a data protection specialist.
Conclusion
In recent years, Russian state databases have turned into connected infrastructure with a single entry point in the form of Gosuslugi. This simplifies life and administration at the same time. For a citizen, the practical conclusion is to treat the Gosuslugi account as the key to a significant part of their own digital profile and handle it accordingly.
A detailed description of the unified military registration register as one example of this connectedness is in the Kontur.Extern material.