Apple will store user data Russians locally in accordance with legislation

Apple is going to comply with the Russian law that states that user data from Russians must also be stored in Russia. That law has been in effect since 2015. If security services request it, Apple must hand over that user data.

Apple will store names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers of its Russian users in the country. It is striking that iCloud data is not mentioned, while this should be included under the law. The reasoning for this is unclear. The Russian telecom and media watchdog Roskomnadzor confirms the news to Foreign Policy magazine. Apple has not responded to repeated requests for comment from the magazine.

Since the law came into effect in 2015, Russia has been trying to get tech companies to comply with the law. In some cases, harsh measures are taken, such as the blocking of LinkedIn. In other cases, relatively low fines are used, which do not lead to change. Incidentally, Russia does want to increase the maximum limits for such fines. Facebook and Twitter do not yet comply with the law, as it turned out recently.

The anti-terrorism law that requires tech companies to hand over user data to security services on request has been in effect since 2018. No court order is required.

Apple is in a similar situation in China. The tech giant has built a data center in that country to comply with similar legislation. When it comes to countering terrorism, China also has strict rules.