Fury in Ukraine over tech firm’s move, which it had resisted since the 2014 annexation

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

A decision by Apple to label Crimea as part of Russia in its Maps and Weather apps has sparked a backlash in Ukraine, where the move has been seen as the firm’s tacit acceptance of Russia’s annexation of the territory.

Users in Russia have reported seeing that locations in Crimea now list their country as Russia, a move that Apple and other technology companies had resisted since the 2014 annexation. Users in Russia also see a boundary between Ukraine and Crimea when viewing maps of the region, although it seems to disappear when they zoom out.

Russia’s parliament claimed that it had successfully lobbied Apple to list Simferopol, Sevastopol and other locations in Crimea as Russian territory, calling their previous display an “inaccuracy”.

The change sparked an angry response from Ukraine’s top diplomat.

“Let me explain in your terms, @Apple,” tweeted Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s foreign minister. “Imagine you’re crying out that your design & ideas, years of work & piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy but then smb ignorant doesn’t give a damn about your pain. That’s how it feels when you call #Crimea a [Russian] land.”

In an earlier message, he wrote: “Iphones are great products. Seriously, though, @Apple, please, please, stick to high-tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side. #CrimeaIsUkraine.”

Apple has previously come under fire for bending to government pressure on sensitive geopolitical issues. In October, the company quietly removed the Taiwanese flag emoji from the iOS keyboard for users in Hong Kong, where anti-government protests have taken place for months.

Apple had held out longer than some of its competitors; Google updated its maps in 2014 to show Crimea as separate from Ukraine.

In a statement, Russia’s Duma said a senior lawmaker, Vasilii Piskarev, had been personally informed by a Moscow-based Apple representative of the change.

“The Apple representative informed the chairman of the committee that inaccuracy in displaying the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as the territory of the Russian Federation in the Maps and Weather apps on Apple devices were finally removed,” the statement read, noting that the meeting between Apple and Russian officials occurred on Wednesday.

It is not yet clear how Russia convinced Apple to make the change.

The BBC reported that Apple had been in talks with Russia for several months over how to display territories in Crimea. Russia has increased pressure on foreign technology companies in recent years, requiring them to store user data in Russia where it would be accessible to local law enforcement.

The country has blocked access to LinkedIn, but has shied away from enforcing punitive decisions against larger social networks like Facebook.

Moscow has cracked down harshly on protests over its de facto control over Crimea, calling them a threat to Russia’s national security and opening criminal cases against government critics. Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014 and Moscow has taken steps to integrate Crimea into the country, such as building infrastructure connecting it to Russia’s mainland, including a bridge spanning the Kerch strait.

Russia argues that Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine, despite pursuing an armed takeover of the peninsula at the same time. The annexation has remained unrecognised by a large majority of UN members. The US and EU sanctioned Russia in 2014 over the annexation.