Russia's Crackdown on Data Black Market Backfires Spectacularly

Russia's crackdown on its illegal data market backfires as brokers move abroad, leaking sensitive information affecting millions.

By Content Team

Dec 27, 2025

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Russia's attempt to shut down its massive illegal data market has completely backfired. For over a decade, the "probiv" market let anyone buy personal information like passport numbers and police records for as little as $10 from corrupt officials. The system helped both investigative journalists expose corruption and police track dissidents.

But as phone scammers and Ukrainian intelligence exploited the leaks, Putin cracked down with 10-year prison sentences and arrests of major operators. Instead of stopping the trade, brokers simply moved overseas where they operate without restrictions. Now they're dumping even more sensitive data, including massive FSB border crossing records and bank customer information affecting millions of Russians.

Source: The Guardian

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