Apple is storing the names, shipping addresses, email addresses and phone numbers of Russian users on servers inside the country, according to Bloomberg. A Foreign Policy report in January revealed that the tech giant will comply with a 2014 Russian law that requires companies that handle citizens’ data to store it on servers located within the country’s borders. Bloomberg has uncovered the type of information affected by the move in a filing, in which Apple also said it was collecting the data for customer service and new product announcements.
The filing did not say whether messages, files and contacts of users would be part of the deal. It did say, however, that the collection includes Apple Russia employees’ passport numbers, place and time of issue, their addresses, work history and income information. According to the foreign policy, Apple and other companies that comply with the law could be forced to decrypt user data and hand it over to authorities under Russia’s anti-terrorism laws.
Apple CEO Tim Cookis a vocal advocate for privacy and recently called for GDPR-style laws in the US. In an interview, he said the company should comply with national laws like this. In the same interview, he also stressed that the data stored on these servers is protected by Apple's encryption.
Russia's local data law came into effect in 2015, but its government has only recently begun to enforce it more strictly. Communications watchdog Roskomnadzor launched proceedings against Facebook and Twitter in January for failing to submit specific plans for storing Russian users' data nationwide.
