An email address could become an official online ID pass for Russian nationals, the communications and media minister said Tuesday, but experts were skeptical.

Igor Shchegolev said it could be put on a par with such standard IDs as the internal passport, driver's license, postal address and residence registration.

The official email address could be used to secure access to so-called state services such as registration of property titles, the issue of foreign passports, access to official databases, and so on.

Experts, however, doubted the viability of the minister's initiative, in particular because Russia has yet to officially introduce the concept of electronic (digital) signatures, without which any such project would make little sense.

Furthermore, email cannot serve as a reliable communication channel, for example, in serving summons and other court papers on an individual, since there is no way it can be legally proved that an addressee has in fact received such an email.

Therefore, even in the best case scenario, an official email would have to be backed up with a snail mail confirmation letter.

MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti)