Reuters reports that Russian officials have requested a meeting with Apple and SAP. They will explicitly ask the two software giants to give the government access to their source code so they can understand how it works and how their regular citizen users, who use an iPhone or Mac, are not being spied on by the United States or the United Nations.
According to the report, this request comes as the US and Europe debate whether to impose sanctions on Russia. The big question came via Russia's Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov, who met with Apple's Peter Engrob Nielsen. The proposal is aimed at reassuring Russian citizens that their data and personal information remains private.
Apparently, the trigger for this request is related to the revelations of Edward Snowden in 2013. Other countries have the same fears, but so far none of them have asked Apple to reveal its source code.
Apple regularly publishes parts of the source code on its Open Source website. So far, both Apple and SAP have declined to comment on this story, and it remains to be seen whether Russia's request will be granted.
