Russia to Ban iPhone Use by Government Employees

After a suspected US intelligence campaign exploited vulnerabilities in iPhones, Russia is considering a ban of its use by government employees. This ban is only the latest of a multitude of initiated Russian measures against Western tech devices. According to CSS' Stefan Soesanto, such measures should be seen as the Russian government's admission of fears that foreign states could access sensitive data, which is a matter of national security. In the short run, he argues, these measures are best viewed as pre-emptive and defensive. In the long run, however, they can favor the Russian government in that Russian-made apps couldgain market share. Nevertheless, Soesanto adds, no authoritarian or democratic government has been able to pull that stunt off yet.