Apple has removed the Current Time app from the Russian version of its App Store, telling its developer that local authorities say it contains “undesirable” content.
The App Store is a powerful digital ecosystem.
The App Store is a powerful digital ecosystem.
Current Time is an independent Russian-language media service and website run by Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). It was removed at the insistence of Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulatory agency. According to RFE/RL, Apple informed the developer that the agency says the app contained illegal content, as well as materials from an “undesirable” organization.
RFE/RL runs independently, and is funded by a grant from the US Agency for Global Media. The US agency sets up broadcasting via radio and television aimed at countries that restrict independent media reporting, including some 23 countries.