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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's news app has been removed from the App Store in Russia, another case of the state imposing mandatory requirements on what apps can be allowed.
The move comes less than a month after Russian authorities forced Apple to remove Current Time, an independent media service and website run by the same organization, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). According to RFE/RL, Apple notified the organization to remove the app following a request from Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor.
In that previous case, Roskomnadzor reportedly told Apple that the app contained “objectionable” material. This time, the regulator is said to have used the same word to describe RFE/RL’s overall activities in Russia.
RFE/RL is a nonprofit organization funded by the US Congress through a grant from the US Agency for Global Media. It was reportedly added to Russia’s list of “undesirable organizations” in February 2024.
“[This is] another example of how the Russian government views truthful reporting as an existential threat,” RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said at the time.
Apple has not commented on this specific case, or the latest one involving RFE/RL’s Current Time app. However, as an international business, it must always comply with the laws of the countries in which it operates.
It was because of the Russian law that American companies operating in the country were required to open local offices. Apple opened a corporate office there in February 2022.
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