Apple in Russia removes VPN and opposition media apps, citing ‘concern for democracy’
26 December 2024 08:58
Apple has explained the removal of independent media apps and VPN services from the App Store in Russia by the need to comply with local laws and the desire to continue providing its services in the country, citing “concern for democracy.” This is reported by the Russian The Moscow Times, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs
In an official response to a request from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Apple representatives said that their actions were due to both legal restrictions and the task of “supporting democratic principles.”
“Failure to comply with the law may result in Apple no longer being able to support the App Store or distribute content in this country. The U.S. government encourages companies to maintain the availability of communication services for the Russian population, believing that the availability of these services is necessary to support democratic principles,” the corporation explained.
Apple also denied accusations of actively removing VPN applications.
The company regularly fulfills the requirements of the Russian authorities to remove independent media from the app store. Among those removed was the Radio Liberty app, which included materials from its Siberia. Realities” and “North. Realities” and “North. In October, at the request of Roskomnadzor, the Segodnya app was also removed from the store. The reason was that the organization was recognized as “undesirable” in Russia.
The Insider, Medusa, Echo of Moscow, BBC Russian Service, and Kholod were also removed from the Apple site. This happened after claims from Roskomnadzor.
In 2024, Apple began to actively remove VPN services as well. From the Russian App Store were
about 100 VPN applications were removed from the Russian App Store, including 25 at the request of Roskomnadzor in July 2024.
VPN services allow users to bypass the blocking of independent media and are the main way for Russians to access blocked resources.
In September, 28 organizations, including human rights groups, media, and VPN developers, appealed to Apple to stop fulfilling the censorship-related demands of the Russian authorities.
The publication notes that despite Western sanctions, Apple continues to thrive in Russia due to parallel imports: in 2024, iPhone sales accounted for 12% of the Russian smartphone market, which is higher than in 2020.
