Apple’s decision to remove nearly a hundred VPN applications from its Russian App Store highlights a concerning trend of compliance with authoritarian demands that jeopardize digital rights and internet freedom. According to Apple Censorship, the count of inaccessible VPN apps in Russia has reached 98 as of summer 2024. This move appears to be in response to pressures from Roskomnadzor, the regulatory body overseeing mass media in Russia, which has tightened its grip on internet controls, particularly since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
While VPNs remain legal in Russia, their utility is undermined by prohibitions on advertising and increasing governmental controls. Notable apps like Norton Secure VPN, SurfEasy VPN, and Avast Secureline VPN + Proxy were removed before the Ukraine war, with an additional 17 apps including Nord VPN, Proton VPN, and Bitdefender VPN disappearing shortly before a March ban on VPN advertising took effect.
The post-July period of 2024 saw the removal of over 30 additional VPN applications. Such systematic app removals place Russia’s App Store as the second most restrictive, trailing only behind China, where no VPN apps are available at all.
The opacity of these removals raises significant concerns. Apple and Roskomnadzor owe a transparent explanation for their actions to the global user community relying on these apps for secure communication. The lack of clarity and accountability from both Apple and the Russian regulator about the actual number and nature of app removals calls for a critical evaluation of how multinational corporations handle government pressures that conflict with global digital rights standards.
Apple’s scaled-back operations in Russia ostensibly position the company in protest of Russia’s military actions. However, the continued availability of many of its services in the country suggests a complex, perhaps reluctant compliance with local laws that affect user access to privacy tools.
For a deeper understanding of the detailed findings on this issue, the full report can be accessed at Phone Arena. These findings highlight the urgent need for more transparent governance concerning app availability, which is crucial to preserving the integrity of internet freedom across borders.