Apple took a rare stance on Tuesday night. The company stops selling products in Russia. Apple Pay was previously shut down in that country and now online sales are following. This is what is going on and this is what Google, Meta and Twitter is doing.
Will stopping iPhone sales have an impact?
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has imposed several sanctions against Russia. Many companies are also taking drastic steps by withdrawing from Russia, for example. Apple and Google have also taken measures. Apple goes a long way in this.
It started with an open letter to Tim Cook from Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who is responsible for digital affairs in his country. In that letter, he called on Apple to stop selling products and apps in Russia. That reports iCulture† According to Fedorov, the cessation of online sales of Apple products could be a motivation to proactively stop the Russian population from “disgraceful military aggression”. Apple heeded this call and halted online sales in Russia on Tuesday evening.
Apple does not have physical stores in Russia but sells its products there through online stores. The brand is especially popular among wealthy Russian residents. However, the impact of stopping iPhone sales will not be great. Stopping access to certain services, on the other hand, does.
Apple Pay has been shut down in Russia
Apple has therefore blocked Apple Pay for five major banks in Russia. As a result, customers of these banks can no longer use their cards abroad and make online payments to foreign companies. Apple has also removed Russian news apps, including the app for major Russian state media Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, from its App Store. And like Google, Apple has also disabled some features in Apple Maps that provide live information about the location of Ukrainian citizens.
What are Google, Meta and Twitter doing?
Earlier this week, it was announced that Google has disabled some features in Maps in the conflict area. These are functions that show real-time data of people and their movements. Google has also blocked RT and Sputnik YouTube channels in Europe, as well as Russian state-funded Google News publishers.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, also has indicated that it is blocking RT and Sputnik across the EU. Meta also disabled fake news networks. Twitter decided on Monday to show fewer tweets linking to Russian state media to users. In addition, tweets that may contain disinformation a label†
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, came up with the following Tuesday evening measures† First of all, Google calls the Russian invasion “a tragedy and a humanitarian disaster in the making”. The search giant has teams working 24/7 on various fronts, which include ensuring that the public has access to reliable information. The teams are also working on the cyber war that is being waged alongside the physical war. Google says “malicious activity” has not increased significantly, but the company’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has found evidence that cyber attackers are targeting Ukraine-related targets, including members of the national government.
Drastic measure
Blocking the YouTube channels of the Kremlin’s propaganda channels, RT and Sputnik, are also mentioned. For Google, this is a drastic measure, and it wants to prevent Russian state media from monetizing content via YouTube. In addition, Google, along with the employees who work there, has raised $15 million in donations for aid and emergency relief for Ukraine.
Economic measures by the United States and other NATO countries have already put a lot of pressure on Russia, causing the ruble’s value to fall and bank runs in major cities. It’s not clear what effect that will have on Vladimir Putin’s plans, but it seems likely that additional sanctions will follow from everywhere in the coming days.
– Thanks for information from Androidworld. Source