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Citing Security Concerns, Russia Asks Apple to Hand Over Source Codes

Jul 30 2014 5:21PM EST | Source: MacLife.com

If the current events in Russia weren't tense enough, the homeland of Vladimir Putin has now asked Apple to hand over its source codes for iOS devices and Macs so it can sift through them and see if they're being used for spying. The surfaced earlier this week when Peter Engrob Nielsen, Apple's chief representative in Russia, met with Russian Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov.

The same request was made asked of Vyacheslav Orekhov, managing director of SAP, a major software consultancy, reports Reuters. It's an especially volatile request considering that Europe and the United States are considering harsh sanctions against Russia for its role in the current troubles in Ukraine.

"Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013 and U.S. intelligence services' public statements about the strengthening of surveillance of Russia in 2014 have raised a serious question of trust in foreign software and hardware," Nikiforov said in a statement.

Image via RT

Nikiforov clearly sees Apple's reputation for secrecy as cause for alarm: "Obviously, companies which disclose the source code of their programmes are not hiding anything, but those who do not intend to establish cooperation with Russia on this issue may have undeclared capabilities in their products."

The request isn't without precedent. Back in 2010, Microsoft allowed Russia's Federal Security Service access to the source code for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Office 2010, and Microsoft SQL Server.

China also raised concerns about Apple's location data earlier this month, citing fears that it could allow the Cupertino company to "gain knowledge of China's economic situation or 'even state secrets.'"

Apple's response was swift and focused: "Privacy is built into our products and services from the earliest stages of design. We work tirelessly to deliver the most secure hardware and software in the world."

Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.


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