Russian Officials Ordered To Get Rid Of Their iPhones Citing Espionage Risks

The United States and Russia have always been at odds with each other, even if in practice they share the same outlook when it comes to waging wars on foreign soil. It's no surprise that countries are becoming increasingly wary of technologies that were designed and created in nations antagonistic to them. For India, the same has been true for China, evident in bans on TikTok and the public outrage against China-made smartphones in the aftermath of the border skirmish.

Now, the Russian government has told its employees to get rid of their iPhones by April, citing dangers of hacking and espionage. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia's first deputy chief of staff, held a meeting in March regarding the 2024 presidential election.

At this meeting, the official announced that iPhones were being banned and that all Russian government employees would have to get rid of their iPhones by April 1 or "give it to the kids."

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Why Russia wants iPhones gone

Kremlin believes that Apple's iPhones pose a security risk and are "more susceptible to hacking and espionage by Western experts compared to other smartphones." According to The Register, the ban was initially intended for people working within the presidential administration. Eventually, government officials involved in domestic policy, state council, public projects, and communications departments were also ordered to get rid of their iPhones before the month of March ends.

Russian authorities told officials that instead of iPhones, they may use devices running Android, any Chinese operating system, or Russia's Aurora OS. Some employees who have been using iPhones may receive free devices from the government.

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In March last year, Apple stopped selling its iPhones in Russia, in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The iPhone 14 line up never officially launched in Russia, and the company isn't planning a return to the market. Even on Android phones, the Google Play Store isn't available to users in Russia; instead they may download apps from an alternative called NashStore.

Usually, iPhones are considered a lot safer to use than Android, so it's unclear how the Russian government reached this conclusion. This doesn't mean that Android isn't safe, but owing to its more customisable nature, it's a larger target for malware.

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