In July, Apple was said to have removed 25 VPN apps at the behest of the Russian government. The developers whose apps were kicked out of App Store were informed by Apple at that time that Roskomnadzor, the federal agency that regulates Russian mass media, requested the removals. It was asserted that the apps that were removed were violating the Russian law.
Apple explained that apps must comply with local legal requirements and it’s the responsibility of app makers to confirm their apps do not bypass legal requirements.
Apple Censorship’s analysis shows that the actual number of apps that have been removed is far greater. More than 50 VPN apps are believed to have been removed during the summer of 2024, bringing the total number of inaccessible apps to 98.
Internet censorship has been increasing in Russia for more than a decade and has intensified since the start of the war with Ukraine in 2022. VPNs are not outlawed in the country but in March, a rule was enforced to ban advertising them.
Norton Secure VPN, SurfEasy VPN, and Avast Secureline VPN + Proxy were removed before the war started in February 2022. Before the VPN advertisement ban, 17 VPN apps disappeared, including Nord VPN, Proton VPN, and Bitdefender VPN.
Several more apps, including VPN by CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, were made unavailable between May and July. After July, more than 30 apps were delisted.
These removals have made App Store Russia the second most restrictive Apple app marketplace after China, where no VPN apps are available.
The report notes that some of the apps that can no longer be found in App Store may have been proactively removed by Apple or voluntarily taken off by developers.
Apple scaled back its operations in Russia as a protest to denounce the country’s actions in Ukraine but many of its services remain available in the country.It’s possible that Apple was left no choice but to follow Russia’s directive but the two need to be transparent about their behavior so users who rely on VPN apps can start looking for alternative solutions.
Our study reveals a significant and ongoing reduction in the availability of VPN apps in Apple’s Russia App Store, far exceeding the official reports of 25 removals. The findings underscore a critical need for transparency and accountability from both Roskomnadzor and Apple. Transparent disclosure of app removal policies and actions is essential to uphold digital rights and inform users about changes that impact their access to secure communication tools
Apple Censorship, September 2024
