Apple letter reveals reasons behind ban on 25 VPNs from Russian App Store – report

MANILA, Philippines – On Monday, July 8, Le VPN and Red Shield shared a letter from Apple with TechCrunch containing Apple’s rationale for removing 25 virtual private network (VPN) apps, a story covered by Interfax last week.

TechCrunch reported that AdGuard, Hidemy.name, and other anonymous sources confirmed the letter’s content. 

Apple explained in the letter that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media monitor, demanded the removal of VPN apps for including content “illegal in Russia.”

According to Red Shield CEO Vladislav Zdolnikov and other VPN representatives, Apple’s ban on the VPN apps seemed more effective than the Russian government’s years of efforts to block their services. 

In response to the ban, VPNs like Le VPN have created a petition calling for the United States Congress, Tim Cook, and Apple to overturn the decision. The petition claimed Apple’s actions were “immoral and even criminal” because it “helped Putin and his regime deny access to free information to hundreds of thousands of people in Russia.” 

The report showcases another example of Russia’s efforts to curb free speech in the country, which has escalated ever since its war against Ukraine started. 

According to a Defense One report, the country officially outlawed VPNs in March, eliminating ways of accessing information from other countries. 

This mandate came after Russia’s decision two years ago to block social media sites like Facebook for restricting state-owned media. Other social media sites also pulled out of the Kremlin-controlled country as a form of protest against the war. 

VPNs then became a crucial way for citizens to access non-state-influenced news and updates, as these help encrypt a user’s data and mask their IP address, allowing them to get past website blocks. – Rav Ayag/Rappler.com

Rav Ayag is a Tech and Features intern at Rappler. He is an incoming senior at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Creative Writing program. 

This story was vetted by a reporter and an editor.