Apple has been under fire for some time now for its decision to remove several VPN applications from the Russian branch of the App Store. Although Apple has now completely stopped selling hardware in Russia, the company’s App Store remains usable.

At the beginning of July, Apple removed numerous VPN applications and justified its actions to the affected developers with a decision by Russian authorities. ifun.de reported:

Open letter increases the pressure

An open letter published today, signed by a number of civil society organizations and groups, has now increased the pressure on Cupertino to reverse the intervention.

The letter is addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and calls on the company to reconsider its decision and make the removed VPN applications available again.

According to the signatories, Apple’s actions were made under pressure from the Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor. The decision contradicts Apple’s own principles, which emphasize the importance of a free flow of information and freedom of expression.

VPNs as the last bastion against censorship

VPNs are one of the few ways in Russia to bypass government censorship and gain access to independent information.

The signatories of the letter are calling on Apple to immediately reinstate the removed VPN applications in the Russian App Store. They argue that by complying with the Russian government’s demands, Apple is jeopardizing government contributions and freedom of expression in Russia in order to further the regime’s control of the Internet.

The authors also point to decisions of the European Court of Human Rights that consider Russian laws restricting access to information to be incompatible with international standards. They call on Apple to oppose these practices in order to protect access to independent information.