Apple Calls New Russian Smartphone Sales Legislation 'Equivalent to Jailbreaking'

Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed new legislation requiring all smartphones, computers, and smart TVs sold in the country to come pre-installed with Russian software, reports Reuters.

app store iphones
Proponents of the law claim it will help Russian developers better compete with foreign tech firms. The legislation has also been pitched as a way of sparing consumers from having to download software after purchasing a new device.

Electronic retailers have already criticized the law, which is due to come into force on July 1 next year, and say the legislation was adopted without consulting them. The law has also sparked fears that Russia could use the pre-installed apps as a way to spy on its citizens.

It's still unclear how tech companies will react to the news, although Apple has previously threatened to pull out of the Russian market if a complete ban on selling its products without pre-installed apps was introduced, Russian media reported earlier this year.

Responding to today's news of the law, an unnamed Apple source reportedly told the Kommersant business daily: "A mandate to add third-party applications to Apple's ecosystem would be equivalent to jailbreaking. It would pose a security threat, and the company cannot tolerate that kind of risk."

According to The Moscow Times, the government will draw up a list of software which tech companies will need to pre-install, and a list of the devices covered by the law, expected to include computers, tablets and smart TVs alongside mobile phones.

The Russian government has cracked down on internet freedoms in recent years, including requiring messaging services to share encryption keys with security services and social networks to store user data on servers in the country.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Russia

Top Rated Comments

infiniteentropy Avatar
57 months ago
Meanwhile, they bend to China's demand that allows people to be imprisoned or killed with little to no cause.

Too bad Russia doesn't build any of their stuff, then they'd follow the money and just comply and then defend the decision to comply!

Apple is lost.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnApples Avatar
57 months ago
I actually really want to see Apple pull out of the Russian market.

Then, i want to see China demand that all smartphones have government mandated apps preinstalled.

Would Apple pull out of the Chinese market? Or would they make an exception/excuse for China? That would be fun to watch.
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AustinIllini Avatar
57 months ago

LOL. Money is more important than privacy to companies, EVEN Apple. They'll stay in the Russian market, comply, and sugar coat the entirety of the program with the purpose of the software.
Honestly, Russia isn't that big of a country for this to matter.

People think Russia is like China. It's not, it's far more like Italy.

Apple pulling out of Russia would be a power move and a worthwhile tactic, IMHO.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Winni Avatar
57 months ago

Pull out of China, Russia, Saudi and every other dictatorship... If every company did this we’d probably be living in a better world today, but money is all that matters.
NSA. PRISM. Mass surveillance. Secret courts issuing National Security Letters. Guantanamo.

But sure, it's always the other countries that do the really, really bad things that violate everybody's rights.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pangalactic Avatar
57 months ago
As a Russian I can say this:

First, Apple already hardly operates in Russia - for example, there is not a single Apple store here at all, all the phones are sold through third-party resellers.

Second, it's typical for the Russian government to pass completely retarded laws and then roll them back because, well, of their sheer stupidity.

For example:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarovaya_law
A law that would require mobile operators to keep ALL DATA that goes through Russian phones on their servers, which would result in a threefold (!!!) increase of mobile services prices. A sheer madness of a legislation that was passed and then quickly rolled back.

Similarly, when Telegram refused to provide the encryption keys to the Russian government, it started blocking ALL the websites and DNS servers linked to telegram - Google servers, Amazon servers, Google itself (!), which hilariously resulted in around 10% of Russian online stores and tons of websites getting blocked for no reason, but not telegram itself.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2018/04/17/russia_blocks_google_aws_ip_addresses_to_get_telegram/
Needless to say, all this was quickly rolled back and Telegram is as operational as ever.

So I would actually prefer Apple to officially say they would not operate under such laws, as I believe the public indignation will quickly bring them back.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ersan191 Avatar
57 months ago

The legislation has also been pitched as a way of sparing consumers from having to download software after purchasing a new device.
I can’t believe they say this stuff with a straight face.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
top stories 20apr2024

Top Stories: Nintendo Emulators on App Store, Two New iOS 17 Features, and More

Saturday April 20, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It was a big week for retro gaming fans, as iPhone users are starting to reap the rewards of Apple's recent change to allow retro game emulators on the App Store. This week also saw a new iOS 17.5 beta that will support web-based app distribution in the EU, the debut of the first hotels to allow for direct AirPlay streaming to room TVs, a fresh rumor about the impending iPad Air update, and...