NEW: Russian FSB agents came to homes of top Google and Apple officials and threatened to take them

[Yorkie Mom]

Putin’s pre-war moves against U.S. tech giants laid groundwork for crackdown on free expression

Google and Apple blinked after threats from Russian agents

Russian agents came to the home of Google’s top executive in Moscow to deliver a frightening ultimatum last September: take down an app that had drawn the ire of Russian President Vladimir Putin within 24 hours or be taken to prison.

Google quickly moved the woman to a hotel where she checked in under an assumed name and might be protected by the presence of other guests and hotel security, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The same agents — believed by company officials to be from Russia’s FSB, a successor to the KGB intelligence service — then showed up at her room to tell her the clock was still ticking.

Within hours, an app designed to help Russians register protest votes against Putin could no longer be downloaded from Google or Apple, whose main representative in Moscow faced a similarly harrowing sequence. Titans of American technology had been brought to their knees by some of the most primitive intimidation tactics in the Kremlin playbook.

The unnerving encounters, which have not previously been disclosed, were part of a broader campaign that Putin intensified last year to erode sources of internal opposition — moves now helping him maintain his hold on power amid a global backlash over the invasion of Ukraine.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/12/russia-putin-google-apple-navalny/

Link to tweet

NEW: Russian FSB agents came to homes of top Google and Apple officials and threatened to take them to prison.

Part of a massive Kremlin pressure campaign against US tech now accelerating amid Ukraine war.

[Walleye]

1. They knew damn well he was a snake before they decided to do business there

[lindysalsagal]

5. Yes, they did.

[czarjak]

7. What did they have to lose?

[Irish_Dem]

2. Maybe this is why the media is pro Putin/GOP.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. It's exactly why. Every time Trump threatened to cut off a paper or network's access they cowered.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Putin bought half the US congress, US media and a sitting president.

No wonder he thought he was a world superpower and could invade Ukraine.

[blue-wave]

8. Spot On!!

We are now witnessing the repercussions of Putin's coercion. You can never appease a murderous, bloodthirsty dictator who is consumed with a lust for power. History has proven they must be stopped as soon as possible or humanity will suffer unimaginable consequences due to inaction.

[Irish_Dem]

21. The US GOP helped create this monster.

Sooner or later we are going to have to deal with Putin.

[Evolve Dammit]

18. Sure looks that way. McCarthy confirmed part of that in the leaked video with Paul Ryan. "I swear

there are two people Putin pays" (Rohrbacher and Trump), to which they all laughed and Ryan swears them the "family" secrecy. MTG, Cruz, Paul, Cawthorne, Cotten, Moscow Mitch, Lenigrad Lindsey and the Moscow contingent on July 4 are the tip of the iceberg. And msm says VIRTUALLY NOTHING about any of it. Can we get the un-redacted Mueller report before I die, FCS? This has been done with lots of help right here in the U.S.

[Irish_Dem]

22. The GOP knows the truth. Probably many of them took Russian money.

Putin owns much of the media most likely since all they do is support the PutinGOP, spout Russian talking points, and bash Dems.

The Mueller report is probably sitting in some of the boxes in Mar-A-Lago.

[Evolve Dammit]

30. It would be really nice to know who he "owns" in media and Congress.

[Irish_Dem]

31. Anyone spouting Putin talking points, and anyone who sounds foolish and ridiculous.

Putin loves to "elect" US politicians who make democracy look idiotic and ridiculous. Putin wants to bring democracies down as a form of government and install autocracies everywhere. Like he is doing in the US.

[Evolve Dammit]

32. Is anyone tracking this? We know some of the usual characters (Bannon, Carlson, etc.) but

there must be hundreds.

[Irish_Dem]

36. It would have been a big story for investigative journalism back in the day.

But now the media is just the PutinGOP propaganda arm.

[Evolve Dammit]

37. I really hope you're wrong but you may be absolutely right.

[Irish_Dem]

38. I wish I was wrong too.

But does the media ever print fair stories about Democrats?

[Evolve Dammit]

39. yeah that whole "liberal media" myth is BS and it stuck in the minds of many. Another big lie.

[Irish_Dem]

40. The GOP propaganda campaign against Dems has been very effective. :(

[Evolve Dammit]

41. Limbaugh was a master. For over 40 years; 1200? outlets and Armed Forces radio

[Irish_Dem]

42. Exactly, he was broadcast everywhere for decades.

[Meowmee]

26. .

[Meowmee]

27. This

[paleotn]

3. Just like the bad old days....

For those of us old enough to remember, this isn't a surprise. It's how the Russians roll. I remember one of the unofficial events at every summer and winter Olympics back then was who on the Soviet and Eastern Bloc teams would defect to the west and when. It was that fucking bad. Putin is in his heart an unrepentant communist dictator / czar hybrid. Old KGB types die hard.

[erronis]

9. But I don't think in the bad old days that the Kremlin installed a traitor in the presidency.

Might have been their wet dream and they certainly tried to subvert and compromise important people in the US and western countries.

Only when a particularly venal circus barker ran for president in 2016 did they realize their dreams.

[not fooled]

12. Facilitated by a general degradation of the American political system

Money over everything else, so it's ok to lack morality or ethics in order to make more money. Naked bribery OK'ed by scotus, propagandizing the 'Murican people to believe unlimited profits and "no regulation" is the way businesses should be allowed to operate, and deficient journalism in the mass media that no longer informs the public adequately about the forces driving public policy (hint: not what benefits the public).

So, when putin shows up dangling rubles, well, it's just another way to make money, and who cares about corruption anyway.

[erronis]

25. And that putin ruble ain't worth very much anymore. Poor poor little repuglicons....

[musclecar6]

10. Yep

When they threw the commies out, the Russian people thought they were going to wind up with a democracy like the United States. Of course what they got instead, was a brutal dictator wannabe who has managed to get all he wants and now is attacking the country next door, just like Hitler did back in the day.

[OMGWTF]

15. Exactly!

The Rethugs didn't like Russia when it was a Communist county, but once it became an autocratic oligarchy ruled by a soulless monster, they luv it. Gimme somma that!!

[TygrBright]

11. This explains a certain amount about their cooperation with various anti-Putin cyberactions. n/t

[IronLionZion]

14. It's probably not profitable to do business in a country run by a KGB mobster

Paul McCartney - Back In The USSR Live in Moscow Red Square

[majdrfrtim]

16. No wonder TFG and his clones idolize Putin!

He -- and they -- want to be able to do the same things here in the U.S.

[BlueIdaho]

17. Western Tech companies need to leave Russia asap.

And never return. Let Russia go back to the days of steam driven chain drive computing. Telecom companies need to dismantle their investments in Russia and let them return to land lines to communicate.

[Evolve Dammit]

20. Embargo all tech. All of it. Leave them guessing on everything.

[BlueIdaho]

24. Disrupt their communications

And you disrupt everything.

[Evolve Dammit]

28. They've been screwing with us for a long time. And this is not about the Russian people.

Putin needs a major punch in the face. I don't care how it happens.

[BlueIdaho]

29. This is about every single Russian that supports Putin.

Just like Nazi Germany was about every single German that supported Hitler.

[Evolve Dammit]

33. Probably about the same 35% we have here that support fascism and the Orange Chosen One.

[BlueIdaho]

34. Probably higher

But with such a massive internal secret police force it’s hard to know the real numbers. Back in the old Soviet days half the population was working for the KGB reporting on the other half of the population who was also working for the KGB. Nothing much has changed…

[Evolve Dammit]

35. JHC

[KY_EnviroGuy]

19. Putin could be cutting off the hand that feeds him.

After all, it's U.S. tech giants like Facebook and Twitter that has allowed the malicious spread of fascist Russian propaganda around the globe and dividing our populace here in America, thereby limiting the power of the people.

Let's hope big tech responds in-kind but I'm not betting on it since profits always count more than the people's well-being.

KY>..............

[Silent3]

23. If anyone wonders why Apple & other tech companies failed to stand up to prior election tampering...

..., when they complied and took down apps that would help people in Russia vote, I suspected this kind of pressure was applied back then too.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

43. Add Putin to the terrorist list.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63203-2001Oct27?language=printer