In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Apple has confirmed it’s stopping the sale of all products in Russia, in addition to limiting its Apple Pay service in the country, limiting access to state-backed media outlets, and disabling certain features in Apple Maps as a safety measure. So far, Apple’s silence on the ongoing crisis has been a topic of hot debate, especially when companies of all scales have taken restrictive measures in a bid to discourage further aggression.
The likes of Facebook and Twitter have already limited the kind of information related to the conflict that can be shared on each platform, while Google has also taken measures to limit the reach of propaganda material. Elon Musk even deployed a fleet of Starlink hardware to ensure that internet connectivity doesn’t become an issue if Ukraine’s internet infrastructure was attacked. Even though Tim Cook expressed concern for the Ukrainians at risk, there wasn’t any corporate move regarding the company’s business in Russia.
Apple has now made its move. In a statement shared with The Verge, Apple explained that it is pausing the sale of all products in Russia. The company says it has removed the ability to download state-allied media outlets like RT News and Sputnik News from the App Store outside Russia, and has limited Apple Pay services in Russia. According to an Insider report from last week, Apple Pay had already stopped working for certain banks in Russia after the country was hit with financial sanctions. With Apple Pay restrictions in place, accounts registered with the blacklisted Russian banking institutions would no longer work outside the country, and cardless transactions via Apple Pay would also be blocked.
Apple Joins Big Tech
Apple says it has already disabled features like traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps as a safety measure for Ukrainian citizens. Cyber security experts have recently issued similar warnings, asking Ukrainians in vulnerable areas to disable geolocation on their phones so that they can’t be tracked. Since social media platforms have been flooded with misleading content and misinformation, journalists and government authorities have also been forced to stick with crowdsourced maps created with help from on-ground sources for verified information.
Apple’s move comes a few days after Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister wrote a letter to Tim Cook, asking the Apple CEO to “stop supplying Apple services and products” to Russia, and also block access to the App Store. Per Cook’s Tweet posted a day before, Apple has already been involved in humanitarian efforts in the country. Apple’s latest statement doesn’t mention anything about blocking access to the App Store in Russia. Additionally, Apple’s official online store in Russia is still up, and there is no word if that’s going to change in the immediate future.
Sources: The Verge, Insider, Mykhailo Fedorov/Twitter
