Apple has taken another censorship measure to the App Store on the orders of Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor. Interesting thing about this: An app funded by the US government was removed. American foreign broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has given this information. affected by censorship Is.
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“Foreign Agent” removed
The removed app is Current Time (local name: Radio Svoboda), which can be used to watch Russian-language TV and the digital program of the same name. It is operated by RFE/RL and sees itself as an independent alternative to Kremlin-controlled state media in the Russian Federation. The channel had already been labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian Justice Ministry in December 2017, along with eight other US public media outlets.
A letter from the company to RFE/RL said the reason for the removal was Current content “Illegal in Russia” and that the broadcast material came from an “undesirable organization” (in the Russian Federation). RFE/RL itself has not been active in Russia since March 2022 because, among other things, Russian tax authorities tried to push the organization into bankruptcy. At the time it was said that the state had been fighting the organization “for years”.
Apple has already blocked many VPN apps
Removing Current Time is not Apple’s first censorship measure in the Russian App Store. Earlier, 25 popular VPN apps were blocked on Roskomnadzor’s instructions in July, followed by about 100 more apps in September. It is unclear why Apple continues to operate an App Store in Russia. The group actually largely shut down its business in the country following the start of the Ukraine war in 2022. Data is no longer received from Russian services and hardware sales have officially ceased. However, this now continues to happen through gray imports – recently a MacBook Pro M4 was reportedly leaked in Russia.
RFE/RL was established by the US Congress and operates under United States Agency for Global MediaThe authority aims to promote democracy around the world and is responsible for all international government radio and TV programs that are not of military origin.
(B.Sc.)
