Russia has apparently demanded that Apple store user iCloud data relating to Russian citizens domestically. Apple has seemingly refused to comply, based on an Interfax news report (via Reuters).
The court fined Apple 2 million roubles (worth approximately $34,000) for non-compliance. Russian courts have increasingly clashed with (predominantly US-based) big tech companies over issues of content censorship and data control in the months since the country invaded Ukraine.
Whilst Apple has seemingly not complied with Russia’s will to have user data physically located inside its borders, it has been willing to work with China to do something similar.
Apple runs approximately a dozen data centers of its own around the world; a handful in the US, one in Denmark, and a few in China. iCloud data is also stored (encrypted) on third-party cloud storage services like Google Cloud (Apple is reportedly Google’s largest cloud customer, storing over 8 exabytes of data on its platform) and Microsoft Azure.
Following local law changes in 2016, Apple now hosts all Chinese user iCloud data in Chinese data centers operated by GCBD, partly using state-owned China Telecom’s cloud service. Apple maintains it controls the encryption keys for any data stored there, and the Chinese government does not have access.
Nevertheless, Apple has been repeatedly criticized for the decision by privacy advocates, who argue the geographic proximity is enough to make it easy for the Chinese government to intercept the iCloud data communications.
It is possible one of the reasons Apple is objecting to Russia is that Russia asked for more invasive management policies that the company was uncomfortable with. Apple has not yet commented on the report.
