Apple bows to Russian censorship: RSF and 27 organisations demand the VPNs removed from Russia’s App Store be restored
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns Apple's decision to remove more than 25 VPN applications from its App Store in Russia following a request from the Russian censorship agency, Roskomnadzor. This decision, taken on 4 July, seriously compromises Russian citizens' access to a free internet and contributes to their informational isolation. RSF and 27 civil society organisations have published an open letter to the US multinational demanding the return of these applications.
Apple's removal of 25 VPN applications from its Russian App Store, an online shop for mobile applications, is yet another episode of self-censorship by the American multinational. The American tech giant claims to be committed “to freedom of expression and information” according to its general terms of use, and recognises “the critical importance of an open society where information flows freely,” yet its decision follows an injunction from Roskomnadzor, the Russian state agency responsible for regulating the media.
"By removing VPNs from its app library in Russia, Apple is making it easier for the Kremlin’s censors to control online information, further isolating Russian citizens from the rest of the world. We urge Apple to immediately reverse its decision and refuse to give in to the demands of authoritarian governments that violate international human rights standards.
VPN applications play a crucial role in circumventing state censorship and maintaining access to uncensored sources of information. In Russia, where thousands of independent news websites have already been blocked, VPNs are one of the last tools allowing citizens to access unfiltered information.
Google continues to resist Roskomnadzor’s demands to remove VPN apps from the Google Play Store; Apple must follow this example rather than backtracking on the principles it claims to defend. At the beginning of August, RSF condemned Roskomnadzor’s drastic slowdown of YouTube videos in certain Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia, as well as in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, which made YouTube content nearly impossible to access. This slowdown was done without the approval of YouTube or its parent company, Google.
RSF, along with 27 other civil society organisations such as Roskomsvoboda and Access Now, calls on Apple to immediately reverse this decision, which compromises the Russian public’s access to a free internet.
Read the full open letter.
