Analysts assess chances of de-anonymizing the author of negative comment on Kadyrov

The author of the comment, who called Ramzan Kadyrov a "shaitan", can be identified by the content or data in social networks, experts in cyber security believe. Such statements by Kadyrov are quite serious; the commentator is in real danger, Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the head of Chechnya threatened to liquidate the user for his comment he left during Kadyrov's live broadcast on the Instagram. The threats mismatch the status of the head of the region, Instagram users have pointed out.

The Instagram social network, owned by the Facebook, ignores any requests to confirm one's identity via IP or other data that the user has decided to hide, if there is no court judgement, said Daniil Lipin, a lawyer. The Facebook does not trust Russian courts, and refuses to provide data if requested, said Mr Lipin. There remains a method for identifying a person by the content of his messages: what photos were posted, and what friends are there.

The author may face a real danger due to the possibility of de-anonymization, says Valery Ledovskoy, the head of information security solutions at the Syssoft.

Ruslan Kutaev, President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, is sure that Kadyrov reads such comments "in thousands every day," so the threats are not serious. "For Kadyrov, those who systematically expose him as an official are dangerous," he said.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the "Civil Assistance" Committee, on the contrary, treats Kadyrov's words as a direct threat. However, if the author turns to the police in connection with the threat to his life, then, he'll de-anonymize himself, which will lead to disastrous consequences, she has summed up.