Censorship

Apple removed Russia’s state-backed Max messaging app from the App Store, cutting off new iPhone and iPad downloads and updates for existing users. Apple told BBC Russia the removal was done to comply with sanctions regulations, while Russian officials said about 20 million users lost access through Apple’s marketplace. Max, developed by VK and promoted by the Russian state as a Telegram and WhatsApp alternative, is deeply integrated with government services, digital ID, e-signatures, and payments; critics warn its lack of end-to-end encryption could make user communications easier for authorities to monitor. — This affects Russian users who rely on Max and highlights how app-store controls, sanctions, and state-backed platforms can shape access to communication tools. It also matters for privacy watchers because Max is closely tied to government infrastructure, so users should weigh surveillance risks and loss of updates if they continue using it.

Russia is asking its Supreme Court to ban Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow as extremist organizations, a designation that can outlaw their activities, block their websites and channels, and expose associates to criminal penalties. The move follows the groups' claimed attacks on Russian and Belarusian government and infrastructure targets, including the July 2025 Aeroflot disruption that canceled more than 100 flights and allegedly involved data theft and destruction of airline IT systems. No CVE or software flaw is cited; this is a state action tied to politically motivated hacking and online speech. — This matters because Russia is using an extremism label against online groups tied to cyber operations, which can expand censorship and criminalize access to related information channels. People following these groups, especially in Russia, may face blocking or legal risk, while defenders and researchers should watch for knock-on effects on threat visibility and attribution.

California lawmakers advanced AB 1856, a bill that would exempt open-source operating systems from parts of the state's age-assurance law but broaden age-checking requirements for many internet services. EFF says the amended bill would still extend the age-bracketing regime created by AB 1043 beyond operating systems and app stores to web browsers and websites, increasing pressure to collect users' age data and potentially affecting anonymity, privacy, and access to lawful speech. — If enacted, the bill could force more online services to ask for and retain age information, creating new privacy and security risks for ordinary users while raising compliance burdens for developers and platforms. People and organizations tracking internet freedom and privacy policy should watch the Senate process closely.

At a Beijing summit, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement promising deeper cooperation on information security, cyber-threat response, internet regulation, AI, satellite internet, IoT, and interoperability between China's BeiDou and Russia's GLONASS systems. The statement also emphasized joint software and open-source development to reduce dependence on Western technology and endorsed stronger state control over domestic internet environments. — The agreement signals closer alignment between two major authoritarian states on cyber policy, digital infrastructure and 'internet sovereignty,' with implications for censorship, surveillance, and state-backed cyber operations. It matters to policymakers, civil-society groups and defenders tracking how geopolitical blocs may reshape internet governance and security ecosystems.

Access Now and other groups say Meta has made Facebook and Instagram accounts of NGOs, researchers, and civil-society figures unavailable in Saudi Arabia and the UAE since late April 2026. Meta's transparency reporting indicates more than 100 Facebook pages and Instagram accounts were restricted since March 2026, citing local legal requirements and cybercrime laws in both countries. — This affects access to information and the safety and reach of human-rights advocacy in highly restrictive states. It is relevant to censorship tracking because a major platform is enforcing government takedown and geo-blocking demands against lawful speech.