The Kremlin has ordered Apple and Microsoft to store and hand over Russian users’ data to security services

[william]

If the companies refuse to cooperate with the FSB, they face large fines in Russia and eventual blocking.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2115392027512725774

• Visegrad24 reports that Roskomnadzor added Apple and Microsoft to Russia's registry of information dissemination organizers on October 2, 2026, requiring three-year storage of user activity data and six-month retention of message contents for handover to the FSB.
• The registry entries, shown in the post's images, list Apple (594-PP) and Microsoft (593-PP) with their US addresses and services like apple.com and microsoft.com, subjecting iMessage, FaceTime, and Microsoft messaging/calling tools to potential surveillance demands.
• Refusal to comply risks substantial fines and service blocks in Russia, continuing Moscow's push under the Yarovaya Law to localize and access foreign tech user data amid limited Western company operations there. Grok

The Kremlin has ordered Apple and Microsoft to store and hand over Russian users’ data to security services - Bing

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[teekay99]

I guess operating systems and software are not bound by any Russia embargo?

So let's say Microsoft/ Apple defy Russia, and they are fined. Then let's say both refuse to pay the fine and they are blocked. That would mean no more software and operating systems for most computer hardware in the country. I'm not sure that serves Russian interests.

I guess older software that doesn't need a subscription or provisioning from Microsoft and Apple might continue working...