Sergey Kuzmenko, head of the Roskachestvo Center for Digital Expertise, said: RIA NewsTechnically, companies Google and Apple can turn off all their smartphones in Russia, but this is unprofitable for them due to huge reputational loss and possible multimillion-dollar lawsuits.
“Technically, it is possible to deactivate all Apple and Android smartphones that use Google services. “This will happen using the same mechanism as blocking stolen devices,” he said.
Kuzmenko added that Apple’s mechanism is much more advanced than Google’s, but in both cases, users may encounter serious problems. He announced that iPhone owners could have a completely locked device with the loss of all personal data. In this case, Android owners will be able to extract user data, but it will be very difficult and expensive to “resurrect” the device itself.
At the same time, the company “doubts that foreign companies will take this step.” The expert explained that the issue is not just about loss of reputation and multimillion-dollar claims. Kuzmenko reminded that Apple and Google do not have blocking conditions, because when purchasing modern smartphones for widespread use, they do not indicate for which country the gadget is produced.
He also noted that there are many foreigners in Russia and distinguishing their smartphones from “local” ones is an extremely difficult and expensive task.
Before that, Anton Polilov, founder of Internet marketing agency OptimPro statedthat from a technical point of view, Apple can disable all iPhones, and Google can disable all smartphones running the Android operating system that is not flashed in Russia.
It was previously reported to be on iPhone. will be allowed Install apps as files, just like on Android.