The article is devoted to the analysis of the expediency of 5g electromagnetic networks development. The authors based their analysis on official documents: the Concept of creating and developing 5G/IMT-2020 networks in the Russian Federation, issued by the Ministry of communications of the Russian Federation, authoritative international reports, publications of the Expert magazine prepared by supporters of the 5G networks development, and publications of authoritative peer-reviewed international journals. The authors describe the advantages and adverse consequences of 5G networks development. They offered their own classification of the advantages of 5G networks development by dividing them into explicit, implicit and hidden. Special attention is paid to the potential possibility of 5G networks to provide police functions, in particular, to provide all aspects of total surveillance of any person. The latest scientific articles and reports of 2020 on the adverse consequences of 5G networks development are analyzed by authors. Although the risk-cost-benefit analysis is carried out, which makes it possible to make negative conclusions about the expediency of 5G networks development. The analysis makes us doubt whether the cost of trillions of rubles for 5G networks development in the Russian Federation is justified.