Apple and Microsoft added to Russian information dissemination registry: FSB may demand access to user data
Roskomnadzor has added American technology giants Apple and Microsoft to the register of organizers of information dissemination (OPI).
Roskomnadzor has added American technology giants Apple and Microsoft to the register of organizers of information dissemination (OPI).
The registration took place on October 2, but it is currently unknown whether the companies made this decision voluntarily or whether the registration took place under compulsion, Russian media report.
The Russian regulator has the authority to add services to the registry on its own initiative — this is exactly what happened in 2025 with Cloudflare, which ignored the requirements to submit information independently.
There have been no official comments from Apple and Microsoft regarding this situation yet.
According to Russian law, inclusion in the OPI register imposes a number of strict obligations on companies.
Services are required to store information about users and their activity on servers within the Russian Federation. Companies must provide the FSB and other special services with access to users' correspondence and files upon first request.
In case of refusal to comply with these requirements, companies face large fines or complete blocking of their services in Russia.
A court in Moscow fined Google, Telegram and Pinterest for refusing to remove “prohibited” content
A court in Moscow fined Google, Telegram and Pinterest for refusing to remove “prohibited” content
Russia has stopped increasing Google's fine every week and has returned to the figure of 91.5 quintillion rubles. That's "only" $1,092,000 trillion
Russia has stopped increasing Google's fine every week and has returned to the figure of 91.5 quintillion rubles. That's "only" $1,092,000 trillion
Russia claims that Apple paid the fine and contributed about $13 million to the Russian budget
Russia claims that Apple paid the fine and contributed about $13 million to the Russian budget
It seems that Google has completely blocked access to Gemini for users from Russia - it doesn't work even through a VPN
It seems that Google has completely blocked access to Gemini for users from Russia - it doesn't work even through a VPN
WhatsApp has been completely blocked in Russia, and the Facebook and Instagram domains have disappeared from the state DNS system.
WhatsApp has been completely blocked in Russia, and the Facebook and Instagram domains have disappeared from the state DNS system.
Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram
Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram
