MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. Russian officials using Google, Yahoo and WhatsApp for work-related purposes is unacceptable, Communications and Mass Media Minister Nikolay Nikiforov said Thursday in an interview with Rossiya 24 channel.

"This is strictly not allowed for official correspondence," he said, responding to a question.

"I personally believe that they can do whatever they want, but if they transfer sensitive information, that is unacceptable. I think that with the exception of some egregious cases of violation of these rules, civil servants understand the responsibility," the Minister added.

Earlier Russia’s Security Council Chief Nikolai Patrushev criticized officials for using foreign services, Google, Yahoo and WhatsApp and demanded the governors to take action to solve this problem. He noted that this is a systematic issue for Russia, but the problem is especially acute in the Russian Far East. Patrushev noted that the usage of foreign services by the Russian officials poses a serious threat.