Globally, Apple’s App Store has removed iOS apps belonging to VK, the tech conglomerate behind the Russian version of Facebook called VKontakte.
Mitchell Clark and Alex Heath for The Verge:
In a translated statement on its website, VK said its apps “are blocked by Apple” but “will continue to develop and support iOS applications”. In response to an investigation by The Verge, Apple spokesman Adam Dema confirmed that VK’s apps have been removed and its developer accounts have been closed.
“These apps are distributed by majority-owned developers or majority-controlled by one or more UK government sanctioned parties,” Dema said in a statement. “To comply with these penalties, Apple has closed the developer accounts associated with these apps and the apps cannot be downloaded from any App Store, regardless of location. Users who have already downloaded these apps can continue to use them. “
On Monday, the UK government issued new sanctions against Russian oligarchs in response to the bogus referendums that Russia recently held in parts of Ukraine. Sanctions hit 23 executives of Gazprombank, a Russian bank linked to VK …
VK apps are still available on the Google Play Store.
MacDailyNews takes: Just when you thought that nothing could be worse than Facebook, you remember that there is a “Russian Facebook”.
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