The Kremlin has reportedly instructed officials involved in Russia’s 2024 presidential election preparations to stop using Apple iPhones due to concerns that the devices may be vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies.
According to the Kommersant newspaper, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, advised officials to change their phones by April 1, reports Reuters.
A participant at a Kremlin-organized seminar for officials involved in domestic politics was quoted as saying, “It’s all over for the iPhone: either throw it away or give it to the children. Everyone will have to do it in March.”
Alright, talk about some lucky kids this spring, am I right?
When questioned about the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm the report but emphasized that smartphones should not be used for official business.
“Any smartphone has a fairly transparent mechanism, no matter what operating system it has – Android or iOS. Naturally, they are not used for official purposes,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin is expected to provide alternative devices with different operating systems to replace iPhones, specifically for those involved in domestic politics. President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that he does not own a smartphone, although Peskov has mentioned that Putin occasionally uses the internet.
This development follows claims by U.S. and British intelligence agencies that they had uncovered plans for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The methods employed to obtain such intelligence remain unclear.
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The reality is that the Russian state has real difficulty spying on its own people if they use iPhones.
More like they already know that there is no privacy with any iPhone, period. Anyone that believes that Apple’s iPhones are so secure, that the government can’t get access to any iPhone, is a fool.