The European Union has expanded its sanctions list to include VK and its subsidiary LLC Communication Platform, the developer of the national messenger Max. The move was announced by the Council of the EU.
In explaining the decision, European authorities said VK’s leadership provides what they described as “technical support for the suppression of civil society and the democratic opposition” in Russia. In particular, they referred to the transfer of data on anti-war Russians to security agencies and the company’s role in the Russian authorities’ campaign against VPN services.
“Max has broad surveillance capabilities, can collect data about other applications, monitor contact lists, determine users’ location and install autonomous updates. The rollout of Max by the Russian state was accompanied by repression and the blocking of other independent applications, as well as a campaign to restrict VPNs,” the Council of the EU said.
The document also states that Max was developed under the supervision of the FSB. According to the EU materials, the messenger is now subject to mandatory pre-installation on all mobile phones and tablets in Russia.
The statement further says that information collected through Max has already been used as grounds for prosecution. This likely refers to the fine imposed on Ivan Kazhan, a resident of Krasnodar region, over a photo showing an “AUE” tattoo.
VK’s press service told RBC that the EU sanctions would not affect the operation of the VKontakte social network or the Max messenger. Earlier, in late June, App Store removed VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Zen and other company applications. Max had been removed from Apple’s store before that. The corporation said both decisions were taken in compliance with sanctions requirements.