Overview
- Apple and Microsoft were placed on Roskomnadzor’s "organizers of information dissemination" registry on October 2, a status that triggers formal data-retention and disclosure rules.
- Under the rules, covered services must keep correspondence, audio and video messages, and identifying metadata for local users for three years and supply that data to Russian security agencies on request.
- Roskomnadzor says firms that refuse to comply face fines and possible blocking or other restrictions on their services in Russia.
- Both companies have not publicly confirmed whether they will comply with the requirements, and the listing follows earlier steps by Russia such as blocking FaceTime in December 2025 and Apple’s suspension of sales in March 2022.
- The move continues a multi-year push to curb foreign messaging apps and steer users to domestic alternatives, creating technical, legal and privacy challenges for companies and raising the prospect of reduced access to familiar services for people in Russia.