Apple removes popular VPNs from Russia’s App Store following government pressure. This move restricts access to free and open internet for Russian citizens, sparking privacy concerns and raising questions about online freedom. Will other tech companies follow suit?
Apple has removed a significant number of VPN applications from the App Store in Russia, complying with a request from the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor. This move comes amidst Russia’s ongoing online crackdown and growing tensions with Western tech companies over content regulation and censorship.
The exact number of VPNs removed remains unclear. Reports suggest the figure could be as high as 25, with popular services like Red Shield VPN, ProtonVPN and Le VPN confirming their removal. Other affected VPN providers have likely chosen to remain silent for fear of further repercussions.
Roskomnadzor has been actively blocking access to various websites and social media platforms since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. VPNs, which encrypt internet traffic and allow users to bypass geographical restrictions, have become crucial tools for Russians seeking access to uncensored information and international news sources.
According to a previous report on Russia’s crackdown on VPNs, it was revealed that in 2022, 23% of the Russian population used VPN services, up from 9% in 2021. Apple’s decision to comply with Roskomnadzor’s demands has drawn sharp criticism from privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts.
In May 2018, Russia blocked over 50 VPN services and anonymizers during its crackdown on the encrypted messenger app Telegram. In February 2020, the country blocked Tuta, formerly Tutanota, an end-to-end encrypted email app and a freemium secure email service.
In March 2023, Russian authorities added several Western messaging apps to its Register of Prohibited Sites, including Snapchat, WhatsApp, Discord, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and Telegram. In addition, European encrypted messaging apps Viber and Threema, as well as the Chinese communication app WeChat, were also banned.
Uncertain Future for VPN Usage in Russia
The removal of these VPNs creates uncertainty for Russian internet users who rely on them for privacy and security. While some may seek alternative app stores or sideloading methods to install VPNs, these options come with increased security risks and technical complexities.
The long-term impact of Apple’s decision remains to be seen. Roskomnadzor may attempt to further restrict access to VPNs by blocking their protocols or employing deeper technical measures. This could lead to a cat-and-mouse game between Russian authorities and VPN providers constantly seeking new ways to circumvent restrictions.
VPNs are vital!
— Access Now (@accessnow) July 4, 2024
For people in Russia to continue exercising their rights to express, access information + dissent, @Apple must stop aiding Kremlin in suffocating the country's civic space. https://t.co/9RVRZwmzNm
A Global Debate on Online Freedom
Apple’s decision in Russia reignites the global debate on balancing national security concerns with the right to online privacy. While governments may have legitimate reasons to regulate certain online content, the removal of widely used privacy tools sets a dangerous precedent and raises concerns about corporate cooperation with authoritarian regimes.
The coming weeks will be crucial as we observe how Russian citizens adapt to this new reality and how other tech companies operating in Russia respond to similar pressures from the government.
![The leaked database was discovered on Shodan on May 14th.[wp_ad_camp_1][hlink][/hlink]A huge online database containing private contact information including phone numbers and email IDs of roughly 50 million Instagram profiles including those of influencers and brands has reportedly been discovered by security researcher Anurag Sen. The affected individuals include famous food bloggers and celebrities too apart from social media influencers. This database, which belongs to Chtrbox reportedly contains 49 million records was hosted on AWS (Amazon Web Services) and got exposed because it wasn’t protected with a password. Chtrbox is a Mumbai-based marketing firm that connects social media influencers to brands looking to market their products.See: Facebook: Storing Instagram passwords in plain text & harvesting your emailsEvery single record in the exposed database contains data belonging to social media influencers’ accounts and in some cases, even the account location is also mentioned. Each account has different worth depending on the number of followers, reachability, and engagement on the platform.[wp_ad_camp_1][hlink][/hlink]Zack Whittaker of TechCrunch contacted Chtrbox to inform about the exposed database, and it was eventually removed. It must be noted that Anurag claimed to discover the exposed database on Shodan on May 14th but in a statement issued by Chtrbox stated that the database was only exposed for 72 hours and contained no personal data.Whittaker also tweeted on Chtrbox's statement and called it "inaccurate."On the other hand, the Instagram spokesperson stated that they are figuring out the issue in order to understand whether the data actually is of Instagram accounts or of other sources."We're also inquiring with Chtrbox to understand where this data came from and how it became publicly available," the spokesperson told TechCrunch.[wp_ad_camp_1][hlink][/hlink]Whittaker claims that the information in the database must have been scraped from various publicly available social media accounts as it also included data such as the cost of a particular post and number of likes, etc. Moreover, some of the influencers claim that they aren’t associated with Chtrbox.See: Russian Hackers Control Malware via Britney Spears Instagram PostsFacebook, which owns Instagram, told TechCrunch that it is reviewing the matter. It is worth noting that Instagram doesn’t allow account scraping while Chtrbox claims that its client base boasts of over 184,000 Instagram influencers. This number is much less than the number of records found in the exposed database.Previously, hackers were found compromising and holding several Instagram influencers accounts for ransom - In the other case, personal data of top celebrities on Instagram was stolen and traded online while several dark web marketplaces were also seen selling Instagram data of 6 million celebrities.Did you enjoy reading this article? Like our page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.](https://hackread.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/database-with-millions-of-instagram-influencers-leaked-online-1.jpg)
