Russia’s antitrust authority has launched a review of Apple following a complaint from messaging app developer Telega, an unofficial Telegram client.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS )of Russia said the complaint from Telega JSC is “not the first signal regarding Apple.” According to the regulator, the U.S. company’s actions may indicate potential violations of competition law.
“The company’s actions may contain signs of a breach of the Law on Protection of Competition, which entails соответствующие legal consequences,”
the FAS said, adding it would take action if violations are confirmed.
The case follows the removal of Telega from the App Store on April 9. Apple also blocked the developer’s account and restricted already installed versions of the app on iOS devices. Telega’s creators say they have received no clear explanation or technical justification from Apple over the past two weeks.
The app remains available on Google Play and RuStore, though users of alternative versions are now flagged with a special label in Telegram.
Earlier in April, Apple warned users that Telega contained malicious code and urged them to delete it. Internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare also labeled the domains telega.me and api.telega.info as “spyware,” though Telega said this designation was made in error. Cloudflare later removed the labels, but the app has not returned to the App Store, and access on Apple devices has since been restricted.
Telega gained popularity amid disruptions to Telegram. The app is an alternative client built on Telegram’s open-source code, allowing users to access their accounts, including messages and calls.
Sources: RBC, Appleinsider.ru
