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Joining U.S. as part of Russian sanctions
It is looking as if the world of international politics has ventured into the world of digital technology. Apple has announced that it will be nulling all accounts that are registered in the Crimean Peninsula due to the annexation of the area by Russia. According to reports, the termination of all Crimean accounts is to happen immediately. It means that any business, person, or company that is registered in the Crimea will not be able to use any Apple software in order to develop apps and they will not be sold in any Apple online store.
Apple sent a note to the Crimean developers which was described by the company as a ‘termination of the Registered Apple Developer Agreement’. The letter stated that due to sanctions placed on the Crimean area by the United States on December 19th, 2014 and by the European Commission on December 18th, 2014, that the Registered Apple Developer Agreement will not be continued and that all Apple related software must be ceased and or destroyed. This new order also will affect immigration from that country and investments that are associated with the Crimea.
2 million people reside on the Crimean Peninsula but over the last year has been a topic of controversy with Russia. The country annexed the Crimean Peninsula and Ukraine and U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order which made light of Russia’s occupation of the Crimea. The order prohibits any United States business to be able to import any services or goods into the Crimean section of Ukraine. Apple has had a shaky relationship with Russia in the past. Russia represents an emerging market for Apple but the company is now joining other tech companies such as Intel as far as ceasing operations in the country and placing sanctions that will affect the 144 million people who live there.
Source: Techcrunch