Apple, Google raise new concerns by yanking Russian app

In this Sept 17, 2021 file photo, the app Smart Voting is displayed on a phone in Moscow, Russia. — AP

BERKELEY: Big Tech companies that operate around the globe have long promised to obey local laws and to protect civil rights while doing business. But when Apple and Google capitulated to Russian demands and removed a political-opposition app from their local app stores, it raised worries that two of the world's most successful companies are more comfortable bowing to undemocratic edicts – and maintaining a steady flow of profits – than upholding the rights of their users.

The app in question, called Smart Voting, was a tool for organising opposition to Russia President Vladimir Putin ahead of elections held over the weekend. The ban levied last week by a pair of the world's richest and most powerful companies galled supporters of free elections and free expression.