Russian President Vladimir Putin still uses Windows XP: Reports

President of Russia Vladimir Putin still uses Windows XP as the software for his desktop. Even though Microsoft has discontinued the product, the Russian news agency reached the conclusion after examining photographs of the Russian President's desktop. After the occasional exception in 2014, Microsoft has stopped releasing security updates for Windows XP and Office 2003. Moscow aims to protect the national interest in the face of foreign espionage threat, therefore the Russian officials are prohibited to use any software developed in a foreign country. 

Windows XP is reportedly installed on Putin's desktop at both places, Kremlin and his official residence Novo-Ogaryovo west of Moscow. In addition to that, Putin also avoids smartphones and has always viewed the internet with suspicion. According to the Russian agency, Windows XP was the last Microsoft operating system which was certified for use in Russian government's agencies. Windows 10 only received certification for computers which do not hold secrets of the state. Moscow is also planning to replace Microsoft and Apple software to domestically developed systems for the government organisations along with other companies by 2025-2030. 

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'Great Russian Encyclopedia'

This is not the first time that Putin's trust issues made Russia develope its own domestic product. Few days ago, Russian President announced an electronic version of the 'Great Russian Encyclopedia' to list verifiable facts and data. Putin also said that Wikipedia was "unreliable" and expressed the need to "replace" it. According to a government resolution, the move will reportedly ensure that people find "reliable information that is constantly updated on the basis of scientifically verified sources of knowledge".

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The Russian President had proposed the idea of replacing Wikipedia, the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia, with an electronic version for Russia which is also an extension of the Soviet Union's main encyclopedia. However, a communications coordinator for Wikimedia, John Lubbock reportedly said that it was unclear how Putin planned to improve Wikipedia. Russia briefly blocked the Russian-language version of Wikipedia in 2015 for an article which contained information on cannabis under legislation banning sites with drug-related material. In addition to that, Moscow has also introduced tougher online controls over the Russian segment of the internet in order to keep it going even if it is cut off from the infrastructure of other countries.

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