On October 2, 2026, Roskomnadzor added American corporations Apple and Microsoft to the registry of information dissemination organizers (ARI). According to the Tech Talk Telegram channel, this is evident from the agency's database. Apple's registry profile lists software development and provision as its line of business, while Microsoft is described as an ecosystem of software products, hardware, and cloud services for private and corporate users. As of the time of publication, it remains unclear whether the inclusion was voluntary or mandatory: the regulator has the authority to independently add services to the registry if a company repeatedly refuses to do so on its own initiative.
Chronology: From Demand to Fine
For Apple, the procedure dragged on for over a year. In July 2025, Roskomnadzor sent the company a demand to register as an ARI, but Apple failed to comply, arguing that the apple.com website could not be considered an internet communication service. In June 2026, the company was held administratively liable under Part 1.1 of Article 13.31 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation — for repeatedly failing to fulfill the duties of an information dissemination organizer — and was fined 500,000 rubles. Following this, the corresponding record appeared in the registry. A similar practice was applied earlier: in 2025, the regulator forcibly added the American company Cloudflare to the registry.
What Companies Are Now Obligated to Do
Inclusion in the ARI registry imposes a number of obligations established by the federal law "On Information, Information Technologies, and Information Protection." Organizers of information dissemination are required to store information on the territory of Russia for up to a year regarding the facts of reception, transmission, delivery, and processing of voice information, text data, images, and other electronic messages of users, and to provide this data to authorized state bodies carrying out operational-search activities or ensuring the security of the Russian Federation. In addition, under the so-called "Yarovaya package," in effect since 2018, companies must store the content of all messages, including audio and video calls, for six months.
Which Services Fall Under the Requirements and Penalties for Non-Compliance
Among Apple's products, iMessage and FaceTime fall under the definition of electronic messaging tools, along with iCloud Mail and AirDrop, according to several publications. Notably, FaceTime was previously blocked by Roskomnadzor in late 2025 as a countermeasure against terrorist threats and fraudsters. Failure to fulfill ARI duties entails an administrative administrative fine, and further refusal to comply may result in the restriction or complete blocking of the services within Russia.
Context: Not Just Apple and Microsoft
The inclusion of the two corporations continues a series of similar decisions by the regulator. According to information on the agency's website, the American company Google was added to the ARI registry back on January 26, 2026 — specifically its Google Meet audio and video calling service. Thus, both major technological ecosystems and individual communication services are falling into the list of information dissemination organizers, expanding the circle of companies required to store user data on the territory of the Russian Federation and transfer it to law enforcement agencies upon request.
