Apple Removes Dozens of VPNs From App Store Over Russia

The Russian authorities succeeded Apple to Remove Dozens of VPNs from App Store. Roskomnadzor, as the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media of this country is known, demanded that Cupertino residents remove apps like NordVPN and Proton VPN because they break the lawApple had no choice but to comply with Russia’s demand, which classifies the use of private communications as a crime.

According to a report from Beeping computerApple has notified the developers of NordVPN, Proton VPN, Red Shield VPN, Le VPN and others that it will remove their apps. “We are writing to notify you that your app will be removed from the App Store in Russia at the request of Roskomnadzor because it contains content that is illegal,” he said in an email.

Apple has been forced to update its App Store review policies to accommodate a law that will end anonymity on the Internet. According to Federal Law No. 406-FZ, all companies providing digital services in the country are required to verify the personal data of their users. Although the laws do not prohibit the use of VPN, using the Internet using a private connection is prohibited.

“At the request of Roskomnadzor, Apple removed the Red Shield VPN app from the Russian App Store. We know of at least one other VPN app that was removed at the same time as ours,” Red Shield VPN reported on its X account.

Using a VPN in Russia is a crime

Yes, sure Apple offers the opportunity to challenge the decision in Roskomnadzorthe owners of these apps know that it is useless. The Russian regulator has been fighting anonymity on the Internet for years. Having received Western sanctions for invading Ukraine, Russian government tightens rules and cracks down on VPNs.

“Red Shield VPN has been the target of blocking attempts by Russian authorities since 2018. We have challenged the blocking in Russian courts and, as expected, have lost in each case,” a company spokesperson said. “We encourage journalists and human rights organizations to publish information and direct questions to Apple about this matter.”

Interface In October 2023, it was reported that Roskomnadzor had restricted all search engine results that mentioned how to bypass banned content using a VPN. The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, said the regulator had the authority to block them.

“Goodbye, About 20 popular VPNs in Russia are already blocked and will remain so. Roskomnadzor is working on this and blocks VPNs every day. This is not such an easy task, but it is being solved,” Khinshtein noted.

Russia has a zero-tolerance policy towards anonymity. According to Federal Law 406-FZ, anyone who posts tips on how to use the Internet anonymously using a VPN or Tor can be sent to prison.