Russian Military Prohibits Use Of IPhones And IPads For Work Purposes

According to the minister, Maksut Shadaev, the Russian ministry of digital development has prohibited employees from using Apple iPhones and iPads for work-related purposes.

According to the agency, he informed reporters at a digital conference that “a ban is imposed on using (Apple) mobile devices, smartphones and tablets, to access work applications and work email exchange.”

iPhones may be used for personal purposes, according to Shadaev.

The embargo was announced by the ministry two months after the FSB, Russia’s top domestic security agency, said that thousands of Apple devices had been infiltrated as a result of a US espionage operation.

Apple refuted the claims. At the time, the US National Security Agency—which the FSB claimed collaborated with Apple—refused to comment on the allegations.

Russian news outlets said that Apple was recently penalised by a Russian court for failing to remove “inaccurate” content concerning what Russia refers to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

On the other side, shortly after Moscow launched tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Apple halted all product sales there and restricted the use of its Apple Pay service.

Long-running disagreements between Moscow and Big Tech over content, censorship, data, and local representation intensified when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.

Other digital firms that have received fines from Russia include Alphabet’s Google, Facebook, owned by Meta, and Wikimedia, which has received many fines and previously stated that the information Russian authorities had complained about was accurate and up to Wikipedia standards.