Moscow:
Russia mentioned Thursday the refusal by Google and Apple to eliminate jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s app ahead of elections could be seen as interference in the country’s domestic affairs.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for later this month, with practically all vocal Kremlin critics, which includes Navalny’s allies, barred from operating.
Last month Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor demanded that Google and Apple eliminate Navalny’s app from their shops.
On Thursday, Roskomnadzor ramped up stress on the Western tech giants, saying they could be held criminally liable if they continue to refuse to comply with Russian law.
“Criminal liability is foreseen for organising as well as taking part in the work of extremist organisations banned in Russia,” the media watchdog mentioned in a statement.
Failure to block the app “can be considered interference” in Russian elections and will lead to hefty fines, the statement warned.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned US tech giants ignoring requests by Russian authorities to delete “illegal content” had come to be “systemic”.
“Such arrogant, selective behaviour and demonstrative disregard for multiple requests by authorised Russian structures regarding content recognised as extremist is becoming truly unacceptable,” she told reporters.
Opposition leader Navalny has this year seen his organisations declared “extremist” and banned, though all his leading aides have fled.
The media regulator has considering the fact that barred dozens of sites linked to Navalny which includes his principal web-site navalny.com.
In a message from prison, Navalny has urged supporters to download an app that aims to assistance Russians to vote out candidates from the ruling United Russia party in the upcoming polls.
The “Smart Voting” tactic has led the increasingly unpopular United Russia party to drop a quantity of seats in current nearby elections.
“If something can be called ‘interference in Russian elections’, it is the attempts of Roskomnadzor to block the Smart Voting app,” Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh mentioned on Twitter. “Download them ASAP.”
()