{"id":782342,"date":"2021-09-17T13:59:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T17:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=782342"},"modified":"2021-09-17T13:59:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T17:59:52","slug":"voting-app-disappears-from-apple-google-after-russia-pressures-tech-companies-ahead-of-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voting-app-disappears-from-apple-google-after-russia-pressures-tech-companies-ahead-of-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting App Disappears From Apple, Google After Russia Pressures Tech Companies Ahead Of Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvoting-app-disappears-from-apple-google-after-russia-pressures-tech-companies-ahead-of-elections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=782342&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3557ACB9-2C6C-4277-B445-9590D84B758D_1_201_a.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Silicon Valley companies might need to offer an explanation after a voting app created by allies of imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny vanished from Google and Apple stores on Friday.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Russian people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/google-apple-remove-navalny-app-stores-russian-elections-begin-2021-09-17\/\"><span class=\"s1\">head<\/span><\/a> to the polls on Friday to elect a new parliament. The vote lasts three days and the current party in charge, the United Russia, is anticipating a win. The app disappeared when voting started across Russia for the elections, raising concerns about what the reasoning was behind the move.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201c<span class=\"s2\">Allies of Navalny, President Vladimir Putin\u2019s fiercest domestic opponent, planned to use the mobile app to organise a tactical voting campaign to deal a blow to United Russia,\u201d Reuters reported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">As The Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2021\/09\/17\/navalny-google-apple-app-russia\/\"><span class=\"s1\">reported<\/span><\/a>, \u201cRoskomnadzor, the Russian censorship agency, had&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2021\/09\/02\/russia-apple-google-censor-navalny\/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4\"><span class=\"s3\">threatened<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;to fine the Silicon Valley giants if the app, which encourages voters to cast ballots against the party of President Vladimir Putin, was not removed. The censorship agency argued that the companies were interfering in the nation\u2019s electoral processes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The top companies appeared to cave to Russian authorities instead of standing up to them, upsetting opposition allies and digital rights advocates around the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Natalia Krapiva, a digital rights attorney with Access Now, told The Post it was obvious Apple and Google \u201ctook this decision under pressure. But the companies owe the Russian people an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">On Friday, Apple also got rid of its Private Relay feature in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/appleinsider.com\/inside\/iOS-15\">iOS 15<\/a>, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey for users in Russia.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">According to an August report from <a href=\"https:\/\/appleinsider.com\/articles\/21\/08\/25\/apples-icloud-private-relay-to-launch-as-public-beta-feature\"><span class=\"s1\">Apple Insider<\/span><\/a>:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"12\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>Introduced at Apple\u2019s Worldwide Developers Conference in June as part of iCloud+, Apple\u2019s premium cloud storage service, Private Relay&nbsp;<\/i><span class=\"s1\"><i>prevents third-party tracking<\/i><\/span><i>&nbsp;of IP addresses, user location and other details by routing internet requests through two separate relays operated by two different entities. Internet connections configured to pass through Private Relay use anonymous IP addresses that map to a user\u2019s region but do not reveal their exact location or identity, Apple says.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\">The feature can essentially protect a user\u2019s data and prevent the government from watching someone\u2019s internet activity. It is unavailable in countries such as China, Belarus, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia, as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">As the Associated Press reported, U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan was summoned by Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry on the topic last week. On Thursday, Apple and Google representatives were invited to attend a meeting at the upper house of Russia\u2019s parliament, the Federation Council, per the outlet. \u201cThe Council\u2019s commission on protecting state sovereignty said in a statement afterward that Apple agreed to cooperate with Russian authorities,\u201d it noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The AP added:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"15\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>Google was forced to remove the app because it faced legal demands by regulators and threats of criminal prosecution in Russia, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter who also said Russian police officers visited Google\u2019s offices in Moscow on Monday to enforce a court order to block the app. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday the presidential administration \u201cdefinitely, of course\u201d welcomes the companies\u2019 decision to remove the app, because it complies with Russian laws. Peskov said that the app was \u201coutside the law\u201d in Russia.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\">As The Daily Wire previously&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/alexei-navalny-says-there-is-a-crown-sliding-from-putins-ears-in-first-court-appearance-since-imprisonment\"><span class=\"s1\">reported<\/span><\/a>, Putin critic Alexei Navalny was sentenced to prison after returning to Moscow from Germany where he was undergoing treatment for poisoning from a nerve agent that he blames on the Kremlin. The Kremlin has denied any responsibility for his poisoning, but United States intelligence officials have \u201cconcluded with high confidence that Navalny was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/biden-loosely-warns-of-consequences-for-russia-if-navalny-dies-in-prison-as-gop-lawmakers-press-for-more-sanctions\"><span class=\"s1\">poisoned<\/span><\/a> last year with a banned nerve agent called Novichok by the Russian security services,\u201d according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/03\/02\/biden-administration-sanctions-russia-over-navalny-imprisonment-472397\"><span class=\"s1\">Politico<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Navalny engaged in a hunger strike in prison in protest against his treatment and, when he began to suffer, demanded to be able to see his own doctor.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">During a court appearance in April, he spoke of Putin, saying, \u201cI would like to say that your king is naked, and more than one little boy is shouting about it \u2014 it is now millions of people who are already shouting about it. It is quite obvious. Twenty years of incompetent rule have come to this: there is a crown sliding from his ears.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cYour naked king wants to rule until the end, he doesn\u2019t care about the country, he is clung to power and wants to rule indefinitely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>member<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silicon Valley companies might need to offer an explanation after a voting app created by allies of imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny vanished from Google and Apple stores on &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-782342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}