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Russia’s censor body, Roskomnadzor, publicly acknowledged only 25 VPN apps.
At that time, though, experts still believed the toll of removed VPN apps was set at 29.
A total of 360 VPN applications were tested globally across 175 App Stores.
As of September 16, 2024,98 VPN appswere found to be unavailable from the Russia App Store.
These include some of TechRadar’s favorites such asNordVPN,ExpressVPN, andProton VPN.
These results shed new light on the scale ofVPN censorshipin Russia.
Researchers also tracked removal patterns to see how these were concentrated on specific dates, suggesting coordinated actions.
According to Ismail, Apple actively shares the blame for helping the Kremlin censor the web.
We demand that Apple uphold its commitment to human rights and provide a clear explanation for these actions."
This is due to high levels of internet censorship which have been intensifying since the invasion of Ukraine started.
Since March, anew lawin Russia criminalizes the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions.
Specifically, researchers found that 32 VPN apps were already unavailable before July 2024.
Among these, 14 applications had been removed even before February 2022.
Over a dozen apps were targeted between July 4 and July 7 alone, including ExpressVPN andCyberGhost.
As of August 11, about 30 more applications have become unavailable on the local App Store.
What’s being done?
Experts now call on both Roskomnadzor and Apple for greater transparency over app removal policies and actions.
“Apple can no longer claim this isn’t their concern or that they’re simply following local laws.
“What further concessions will Apple make to Russian authorities?”
At this time, Russia’s Google Play Store remains unaffected by this push for VPN censorship.
This may indicate the Big Tech giant is potentially resisting Roskomnadzor’s demands at the time of writing.
