As reported by the business daily Kommersant, on October 2, 2026, Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, added Apple and Microsoft to the registry of Information Dissemination Organizers (ORI). The Telegram channel Tech Talk was the first to draw attention to this development.
Inclusion in this registry imposes new obligations on the companies under Russian law. According to the publication, Apple and Microsoft are now required to store data regarding the correspondence of Russian users and provide legally mandated information to state authorities.
Failure to comply with these requirements exposes the corporations to potential fines and the risk of having their services blocked. Alfred Stolyarov, director of the IT company EvApps, noted in a comment to Kommersant that such blocking does not happen automatically. He emphasized that any restriction of access would be preceded by a series of regulatory directives and disputes with government agencies.
What this means for users
Based on the reports, the new legal status of these companies involves the following practical changes for individuals:
- A legal requirement for the platforms to store data about user correspondence.
- The obligation to provide specified information to Russian authorities upon request.
- The potential risk of service blockages in the future if the corporations refuse to follow the regulator's instructions.
Sources
This story is based on these reports (in Russian).
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