Google and Apple have removed from their online stores the “Navalny” app with the function of “Smart Voting,” reports the telegram channel of the opposition activist’s team. At the same time, a document with a list of recommendations is still available in Google Docs, writes vot-tak.tv.
The app published news from Alexei Navalny’s team. It also had access to the recommendations of “Smart Voting.” This project involves a list of candidates who have a chance of defeating a representative of United Russia in each district.
“Now all the world’s media will be asking Apple and Google how it happened, while their corporate lawyers will be saying something about ‘legal compliance,’ about the need to ‘comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate.’ Well, it’s all bullshit, nonsense. In his telegram channel, there are universal human rights that are the foundation of modern civilization,” wrote Leonid Volkov, a supporter of Navalny.
On August 19, Roskomnadzor demanded that Apple and Google remove the “Navalny” app from the AppStore and GooglePlay, citing its connection with FBK. In September, the agency threatened the IT giants with multimillion-dollar fines and accusations of election interference.
On September 16, Apple told Russian authorities that it could not remove the “Navalny” app from the AppStore. Representatives of the corporation announced this at a Council of Federation’s temporary commission on foreign interference meeting. Apple representatives said that they technically could not remove the app. In addition, they referred to “some legal subtleties” that do not allow the parent company to influence the App Store.
A Google manager was also invited to the meeting. A representative of the firm was ready to speak, but they did not listen to him. Senator from the United Russia Andrei Klimov explained that the Google employee did not have a certified power of attorney to speak on behalf of the corporation.
