The Eye of God

The Eye of God (Russian: Глаз Бога) is a Russian online service specializing in de-anonymization of users, operating primarily as a Telegram bot that aggregates and structures large volumes of data from open sources such as social networks, messengers, search engines, websites, and applications. Launched in January 2020 by Russian programmer Evgeny Antipov, the platform quickly gained popularity in the Russian-speaking segment of Telegram, reportedly reaching over 5 million users within three years, with more than a million paying subscribers. The service allows users without technical skills to search for information about individuals, organizations, vehicles, email addresses, and phone numbers, and to identify potential connections between objects. It has been used both for checking counterparties before transactions and for investigating crimes. The platform's official website advertises databases containing tens of millions of phone numbers and hundreds of millions of photographs, and highlights features such as instant results, artificial intelligence for data structuring, flexible tariffs, a free trial with five searches, and an affiliate program. However, the service has faced significant legal challenges in Russia. In March 2021, Roskomnadzor demanded that Telegram block the bot for violating personal data protection laws, leading to its blocking on 12 March 2021. The service was subsequently transferred to a legal entity, ООО «ОНЛАЙН АДЭР», registered in the Roskomnadzor register of personal data operators. In August 2021, a Moscow court blocked the service's website. Despite these measures, the bot continued to operate through alternative channels. From late 2024, the service reduced the amount of information provided to users by approximately 40%, excluding sources at risk of using illegally obtained data. In late February 2025, The Eye of God suspended operations, citing the need to clarify the legal situation after new legislation increased liability for illegal collection, storage, and dissemination of personal data. In March 2025, founder Antipov reported that searches had been conducted at the premises of the bot's information suppliers as part of a criminal case under a new article of the Russian Criminal Code. As of April 2025, the service was still classified as non-operational by Kommersant. The current status of the service remains uncertain.

The Eye of God platform was created in January 2020 by Russian programmer Evgeny Antipov. Its first solution was a bot based on the cross-platform messenger Telegram — the Eye of God Bot. In February 2020, the platform's official Telegram channel was launched, and by early 2021 it had over 800,000 participants. In June 2020, the official website of the bot was launched. In autumn 2020, the team announced the development of new solutions for both legal entities and individuals. In early March 2021, Roskomnadzor sent a demand to Telegram to block the Eye of God bot and other similar bots for violating personal data protection legislation. As a result, the bot was cut off from accepting user payments through popular payment systems. On 18 March, the service was transferred to a legal entity registered in Roskomnadzor's register of personal data operators — ООО «ОНЛАЙН АДЭР», which had been listed in the OGRN since January 2020 and in the Roskomnadzor register since February. On 12 March 2021, at Roskomnadzor's request, the Telegram team blocked the Eye of God bot. At the same time, the Eye of God team stated that it had not received any demands from Roskomnadzor. On 13 March 2021, the Eye of God team sought legal assistance from lawyers of the international human rights group Agora. Agora, represented by Fyodor Sirosh, sent a lawyer's request to Roskomnadzor to clarify the grounds for the blocking. On 15 March 2021, Sergey Kalenik was invited to the Eye of God team as press secretary. In April 2021, searches were conducted in the apartment of the platform's administrator. On 15 August 2021, the Tagansky District Court of Moscow blocked the website of the Eye of God service. From late 2024, the service reduced the volume of information provided to users by approximately 40%, excluding sources for which there was a risk of using illegally obtained data. In late February 2025, The Eye of God suspended operations. According to the service's creator, Evgeny Antipov, this was done "pending clarification of the legal situation" after the entry into force of legislation that increased liability for illegal collection, storage, and dissemination of personal data. In March 2025, Antipov also reported that searches had been conducted at the premises of the bot's information suppliers as part of a criminal case initiated under a new article of the Russian Criminal Code; he stated that the project's activities were suspended until the position of regulators became clear. In April 2025, Kommersant still classified The Eye of God as a non-operational service.

• Platform created by Evgeny Antipov; first Telegram bot launched

• Official Telegram channel launched

• Official website launched

• Announced development of new solutions for legal entities and individuals

• Telegram blocked the bot at Roskomnadzor request

• Service transferred to ООО «ОНЛАЙН АДЭР»

• Moscow court blocked the website

• Reduced information output by ~40%

• Service suspended operations

• Searches at information suppliers reported

Popular Telegram-based de-anonymization and data search service in Russia, known for its large databases and ease of use.

• Глаз Бога Telegram bot

  Bot for searching and structuring data from open sources about individuals, organizations, vehicles, emails, and phone numbers.

• Official website eog.bot

  Website providing access to the service, with databases of phone numbers and photographs.

1. 1Глаз Бога | Официальный сайтeog.bot
2. 2The Eye of God - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Глаз Бога - Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org