Apple complies to Russia's demands, opens office in Moscow to avoid penalty & ban

Apple on Saturday opened a representative office in Russia, hering to Kremlin’s communications regulator Roskomnzor’s rules that required foreign firms to set up operations on Russian soil in order to promote country’s own domestic tech sector over Silicon Valley. Roskomnzor h earlier warned that tech firms that violate legislation risk facing vertising ban, data collection, and money transfer restrictions, or will be completely blacklisted. Russia h asked scores of IT and tech firms to localise ir operations citing new law.

Among 13 foreign technology companies that were immediately required to open local offices were Apple (AAPL.O), Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), Facebook (FB.O), Twitter (TWTR.N), TikTok and messaging app Telegram, and many ors. Russia h dispatched technical requirements foreign companies were expected to here to that included establishing a Russian-language feedback form to ir website. companies that were asked to open offices mostly served more than 500,000 consumers. 

Russia asks foreign firms to 'comply with law' or face consequences

Roskomnzor h shared a list of targeted firms that were asked to comply with law that was signed by Russian leer Vlimir Putin. law mandated foreign businesses to establish physical offices in Russia, a move that many h decried as an attempt to stifle corporate freedom. Russia h threatened penalties for non-compliance or even shutting down business permanently. “A foreign entity, carrying out activities on internet in Russia, is obliged to create a branch, open an office or establish a Russian legal entity,” new law shared on government website re. About 20 foreign companies — mostly US-based, including retailers and e-commerce firms — were likely to be affected, Russian state media h reported. 

On Friday this week, music streaming service Spotify announced that it opened a representative office in Russia, announced Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. Meanwhile, Google, Viber, and Likee issued a response stating that y would comply with demands in near future. Or US-based companies such as Facebook-owner Meta, TikTok, and Telegram are yet to issue an official response. Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Telegram have also been involved in tough legal battles with Russian government as y have been summoned by court in Russia to defend charges that say se firms failed to remove illegal content quickly enough on ir platform.