Russia orders state-backed MAX messenger app to be pre-installed on all smartphones and tablets

Starting next month, all mobile phones and tablets in Russia must have the state-backed MAX messenger app pre-installed, the Russian government announced Thursday. A rival to WhatsApp, MAX is criticized for potentially enabling user tracking. This move aligns with Moscow’s push for tighter internet control amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
Andrew Osborn for Reuters:
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The Russian government said in a statement that MAX, which will be integrated with government services, would be on a list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all “gadgets,” including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia from September 1.
State media says accusations from Kremlin critics that MAX is a spying app are false and that it has fewer permissions to access user data than rivals WhatsApp and Telegram.
It will also be mandatory that from September 1, Russia’s domestic app store, RuStore, which is pre-installed on all Android devices, will be pre-installed on Apple devices.
A Russian-language TV app called LIME HD TV, which allows people to watch state TV channels for free, will be pre-installed on all smart TVs sold in Russia from January 1, the government added.
MAX said this week that 18 million users had downloaded its app, parts of which are still in a testing phase.

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MacDailyNews Take: As Glenn Greenwald said, “The way things are supposed to work is that we’re supposed to know virtually everything about what [government officials] do: that’s why they’re called public servants. They’re supposed to know virtually nothing about what we do: that’s why we’re called private individuals.”
But, the Russian government obviously fears its population, hence its diktats.

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