Critics warn of Apple, Google 'chokepoint' repressionGoogle and Apple were under the microscope over their decision to pull a Russian opposition appWASHINGTON - The global dominance of tech giants serves as a convenient online chokepoint for authoritarian governments to crack down on dissent or rig elections, critics of Apple and Google said Friday. "The app stores are the new frontier for censorship," Natalia Krapiva, tech legal counsel at rights group Access Now told AFP. But after an app advising opposition supporters on how to vote out Kremlin allies in Russia's parliamentary election was removed from the app stores of both Apple and Google, advocates warned of another threat. In the case of Russia, pressure has been building after Moscow accused the US tech giants of election interference and demanded they remove the app. Sources close to the decision to pull the opposition app said both companies faced threats of criminal charges or the jailing of staff and general "bullying" from authorities.

Source: Bangkok Post September 18, 2021 02:26 UTC