Apple Removes Independent Media App from Russian App Store

Apple has removed the Current Time app from the Russian version of its App Store at the insistence of Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulatory agency. Apple told the developer that local authorities said the app contained "undesirable" content.

Current Time is an independent Russian-language media service run by Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The removal follows how Current Time over-the-air broadcasts were suspended in Russia after the government there leveraged its Federal Tax Service to threaten to bankrupt the organization.