Image: Apple
Apple has been added to Russia’s state surveillance registry, placing the company under local rules that require certain user communications and related information to be retained and made available to security services when requested.
Bloomberg reports that Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, added Apple and Microsoft to its list of “organizers of information dissemination” on October 2.
Companies on the registry are required under Russian law to retain local users’ correspondence, including audio and video messages, and provide that data to security agencies if requested. Information identifying users and recording the transmission of their communications must also be kept for three years.
Apple joins other services and companies already listed on the registry, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, and Google Meet.
The designation comes years after Apple suspended product sales in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, while several Apple services have also faced restrictions in the country.
The new classification creates another regulatory pressure point for Apple in Russia, particularly because the company has long emphasized privacy as a core part of its products and services.