Russian President Vladimir Putin sign a new law requiring all smartphones, personal computers and smart TVs in the country to be pre-install with Russian technology. The software developed by the company will take effect from July next year.
According to the reports if any relevant company violates this law, it will face a fine of $3123. If the law is repeatedly violates, the government supervision department will prohibit the sale of products in the Russian market. Proponents of the law claim that it will help Russian developers better compete with foreign technology companies. The legislation also aims to protect consumers from downloading software after buying a new device.
E-retailers have objected to the law, saying that the legislation was pass without consulting them. The law has also raise concerns within the industry that the provision could allow some tech companies to exit the Russian market.
Russian media reports earlier this year that Apple had threaten that if it ban the sale of its products without pre-install applications, Apple would withdraw from the Russian market. Tt is unclear how Apple will respond to the news.
An Apple source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reportedly told “Authorization of adding third-party applications to the Apple ecosystem is equivalent to jailbreaking. This would constitute a security threat and the company cannot tolerate such dangerous behavior”.
According to the Moscow Times, the Russian government will draw up a list of software that technology companies need to pre-install. As well as a list of equipment covered by the law. These lists are expect to include computers, tablets and smart TVs, as well as mobile phones.
