Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
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Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#2As of now, we've confirmed that seven VPN apps have been removed from the Russian App Store:
Hidemy.Name VPN IVPN Le VPN NordVPN Private Internet Access VPN Proton VPN Red Shield VPN
Some of these providers, including Le VPN and Red Shield VPN, were actively involved in resisting Roskomnadzor's efforts to block Telegram in Russia back in 2018. This action by Apple, in compliance with Roskomnadzor's demands, appears to be more extensive than initially thought. It may indicate a broader crackdown on VPN services in Russia and potentially occupied territories, rather than just a preliminary step. The situation continues to develop, and we'll monitor for any further removals or policy changes affecting VPN accessibility in the region.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#3Selling its customers to authoritarian regimes is par for the course for Apple. Anyone living in such countries and worried about privacy are better off buying Pixel and installing GrapheneOS.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#4I've been arguing here that Apple should not decide what apps a user can run on an owned device, yet, scores of commenters right here, on Hacker News, were telling me, "do research prior to buying the device". No, you shouldn't.
Apple should be stripped off this power. EU's DMA is a first step, but we need such policies applied everywhere. So far, the only ones who benefit from AppStore monopoly are Apple themselves and various authoritarians around the world.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#5Apple is bowing down to fascists.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#6As of now, we've confirmed that seven VPN apps have been removed from the Russian App Store: Hidemy.Name VPN IVPN Le VPN NordVPN Private Internet Access VPN Proton VPN Red Shield VPN Some of these providers, including Le VPN and Red Shield VPN, were actively involved in resisting Roskomnadzor's efforts to block Telegram in Russia back in 2018. This action by Apple, in compliance with Roskomnadzor's demands, appears t…
How many of these VPN services can be used without the app by configuring them in iOS settings? I know "private internet access" can be used that way.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#7As of now, we've confirmed that seven VPN apps have been removed from the Russian App Store: Hidemy.Name VPN IVPN Le VPN NordVPN Private Internet Access VPN Proton VPN Red Shield VPN Some of these providers, including Le VPN and Red Shield VPN, were actively involved in resisting Roskomnadzor's efforts to block Telegram in Russia back in 2018. This action by Apple, in compliance with Roskomnadzor's demands, appears t…
How many of these VPN services can be used without the app by configuring them in iOS settings? I know "private internet access" can be used that way.
those protocols that can be configured from iOS are already blocked in Russia. You'll need an obfuscated Wireguard or other stealth protocols to make it work there. You can't configure them from the settings, but you can download the app and just add the configs there. That's what Le VPN does with Le VPN Give - they just give away the coupons to generate a VPN config, which you then just copy into the open source VPN app, which is still available in App Store.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#8Apple doing business in Russia at all is pathetic
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#9I've been arguing here that Apple should not decide what apps a user can run on an owned device, yet, scores of commenters right here, on Hacker News, were telling me, "do research prior to buying the device". No, you shouldn't. Apple should be stripped off this power. EU's DMA is a first step, but we need such policies applied everywhere. So far, the only ones who benefit from AppStore monopoly are Apple themselves…
>Apple should be stripped off this power. EU's DMA is a first step, but we need such policies applied everywhere.
What do you suppose happens when those same authoritarians make a reverse DMA and require that all phones sold be locked down only to a single centralized market place? If one thinks Apple should be complying (and bear in mind the amount of consternation there has already been around "malicious compliance) with EU laws and policies, I'm not sure how one can be consistent in thinking they should be ignoring Russian law and policies.
Don't get me wrong, in my personal opinion, Apple should not be doing business either in Russia or in China. At the same time, I understand that if they did that, it wouldn't be materially improving things for the citizens of those countries. The only win would be for Apple / Apple employees in not having to comply with laws that violate "American ideals." However, that same ethical stance would be just as applicable to the idea of pulling out of EU markets too if Apple felt that the DMA was against "American ideals." To my mind there are only two possible consistent stances:
1) Comply with all laws and policies of each host country, regardless of personal beliefs / attitudes, and apply why pressure and objections you can to change those same laws and policies. 2) Do not do business in any country where the laws and policies violate your personal beliefs and attitudes, and loudly refuse to do that business until such time as those laws and policies are changed.
The third option of picking and choosing which laws you will or won't be complying is of course an option, but it is not consistent, nor am I sure if you could trust Apple to do that if you already don't feel you can trust them to manage app access on their platform.
Re: Apple is taking down VPN apps following the Russian censorship agency demands
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
How many of these VPN services can be used without the app by configuring them in iOS settings? I know "private internet access" can be used that way.
those protocols that can be configured from iOS are already blocked in Russia. You'll need an obfuscated Wireguard or other stealth protocols to make it work there. You can't configure them from the settings, but you can download the app and just add the configs there. That's what Le VPN does with Le VPN Give - they just give away the coupons to generate a VPN config, which you then just copy into the open source VPN…
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