New draft legislation would help Russia's police geolocate missing children

State Duma Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya has authored new draft legislation that would allow law enforcement agencies to geolocate the mobile devices of missing children. Police would need to get permission from at least one parent or legal guardian, and a court would need to be notified within 24 hours. A court would need to issue a warrant within 48 hours.

The legislation’s explanatory note says children who go missing are often carrying mobile devices that remain powered on for the first hours or even days after they disappear. Allowing police to track these devices would arguably allow law enforcement to take emergency measures, when possible.

Why have you heard this name before? Irina Yarovaya has drafted several major bills in recent years, including so-called anti-terrorism reforms that require Russian telecoms and Internet companies to store all telephone and online correspondence, and make that data accessible to law enforcement.