The Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre is publishing Konstantin Troitskiy’s report, Four Perimeters of Digital Surveillance in Russian Schools. It examines how the state uses educational platforms, cameras, school internet access, and social media monitoring to exercise control over children and their families.
Konstantin Troitskiy is an independent analyst who holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in philosophy. Until 2022, he worked in the Ethics Department at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has authored analytical reports on violations of migrants’ rights for Civic Assistance and Memorial.
Four Perimeters of Digital Surveillance in Russian Schools
The report’s central finding is that surveillance of schoolchildren is becoming increasingly centralized and extends far beyond the educational process.
Information about children’s education, health, families, communications, and views is compiled into digital profiles and used to assess their behavior. The author argues that an infrastructure of political control is developing under the banner of safety and convenience, with federal agencies and security and law enforcement bodies playing an increasingly prominent role.
The study identifies four perimeters: FGIS “My School,” video and audio surveillance, school computers and networks, and monitoring of out-of-school online activity. The author examines legislation and regulations, documents issued by schools and public authorities, technical instructions, statements by officials and developers, and investigative journalism. This analysis yields several key findings.
- A student’s digital profile contains much more than grades and attendance records
The report describes the collection of information about extracurricular activities, meals, health, family finances, and psychological assessment results. Combining these data makes it possible to build a detailed picture of a child’s life. The author highlights the risk that this information could be used for behavioral analytics, assessments of loyalty, and decisions whose consequences neither children nor their parents can control.
- School data is coming under the control of federal agencies
The Federal State Information System “My School” is being integrated with other state systems. School communications are moving to Sferum and Max. Schools supply the information, while federal agencies play an increasingly important role in processing and using it.
- Access to school surveillance footage extends beyond the school
School cameras are being connected to regional data storage and processing centers, making footage accessible outside the school itself. In 2025, for example, the mayor of Surgut announced the installation of facial recognition cameras in 35 schools. According to the mayor, data is transmitted to the local internal affairs department in real time. Video analytics systems also enable assessments of children’s behavior. The author warns that the criteria used for these assessments may remain opaque.
- School internet systems restrict access to websites and track students’ activity
The report describes how school networks are brought under centralized management, websites are filtered, user dossiers are compiled, and attempts to access blocked resources are logged. The author also examines how special certificates installed on school devices are used to inspect encrypted internet traffic. He highlights restrictions on personal devices, which may force children to use devices and platforms controlled by the state.
- Teenagers’ political views can become grounds for pressure
Rosmolodezh’s 2025 guidelines identify posts expressing “opposition and anti-Russian sentiments” and comments that “convey the views of ‘foreign agents’” as indicators of “risk.” Examining the accounts students follow, their music, images, and statements makes it possible to identify those who disagree with the authorities. Measures presented as preventing dangerous behavior thus become instruments of political surveillance.
- Teachers and children themselves are drawn into surveillance
The report cites school and regional documents instructing teachers to check students’ social media accounts, record their posts, comments, and likes, and pass this information to school administrators. Schoolchildren are also recruited into monitoring through cyber squads. The author describes these practices as administrative cyberstalking and cyber-denunciation. They erode trust between children and adults: information about a teenager’s concerns and views can become grounds for control and punishment.
- Seeking psychological support can generate data for surveillance
The author examines the “Digital Psychologist” service and projects to develop “empathetic” chatbots. He questions the confidentiality of support when users are identified and information about their requests is stored and analyzed. This creates a risk that teenagers’ personal concerns and emotional experiences will be used for further profiling.
- Algorithms may shape decisions affecting children
The report describes neural network-based surveillance systems, interagency data sharing through the State Information System “Prevention” (GIS “Prevention”), and the Unified Digital Education Monitoring System. The information collected enables predictions about children’s behavior. The author warns of the risk of compiling undisclosed rankings of children and using algorithmic assessments to determine what measures to take against them. Technical problems, resource shortages, and competition between agencies constrain the development of these systems. In the author’s assessment, however, these obstacles do not alter the overall direction toward tighter control.
The practices described threaten children’s privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information.
The report shows how data collection, administrative coercion, and new technologies can reinforce one another. The author calls for an alternative educational model grounded in nonviolence, honesty, and respect for human dignity.
The full report provides a detailed examination of the four perimeters and emerging mechanisms of control, with specific examples and references to sources.
