Apple and Google Could Disable Their Smartphones in Russia

American companies Apple and Google could technically disable all their smartphones within Russian territory. This was stated by Sergey Kuzmenko, head of the digital expertise center at Roskachestvo, in an interview with RIA Novosti, explaining that in such a scenario, all those devices would become useless.

However, there is also good news: the expert believes that such a move is not advantageous for the tech giants, as it poses significant risks to their reputation.

Kuzmenko elaborated that theoretically and technically, it is possible to disable all Apple and Android smartphones using Google services within Russian territory. This would happen through the same mechanism used when blocking stolen devices. "Apple's technology has a much more advanced mechanism than Google’s competitors, but in both cases, users would face serious issues," the expert stated.

He emphasized that in the event of a shutdown, Apple devices would be completely locked, and users would lose all their personal data stored on them. Owners of smartphones operating on the Android operating system could be a bit luckier; their data could be recoverable, but 'reviving' the smartphone without significant financial costs and without changing the software would be nearly impossible, the expert noted.

Kuzmenko doubted that these tech giants would take such a step. "First, modern smartphones for widespread use don’t specify which country they are made for, and in the licensing agreement that users agree to when purchasing the device, Apple and Google do not include such blocking conditions. Second, if corporations indeed take such a step, it would result in enormous reputational damage and multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the corporations," he stated.

That Apple and Google could disable smartphones operating on Android and iOS in Russia if such a directive comes from the US authorities was mentioned a few days ago by Anton Gorelkin, head of the State Duma's information policy and technology and communications committee, during an interview with the YouTube channel Cart Reality.

"If armed conflict moves to a completely different phase, and the situation reaches its hottest point, I’m talking about what some experts call World War III, then I assume that Apple will disable all iPhones in Russia, and Google will disable Android phones... However, I hope and believe that this will never happen," Gorelkin said.