Lawyer Khaminsky: Google and Apple may transfer data to US intelligence agencies
Lawyer reveals who collects data about Russians on the internet
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American companies Google, Apple and Zoom collect and store data on the actions of Russians on the Internet and can transfer it to US intelligence agencies upon request or court order, lawyer Alexander Khaminsky, head of the law enforcement center in Moscow and the Moscow region, told RIA Novosti.
The US Department of Justice on Tuesday announced charges against New York-based Russian Yuri Gungin for laundering over $500 million through cryptocurrency for transactions with sanctioned Russian banks. The Russian citizen was arrested in New York and faces more than 60 years in prison. The US Department of Justice emphasized that Gungin's guilt must still be proven in court. As Khaminsky recalled, evidence in the case includes Gungin's search queries from his personal computer.
Khaminsky said that American companies, such as software and search engine developers Google and Apple, as well as the Zoom service, constantly record and store information about the actions of Russians. This information can be transferred to American intelligence agencies at any time upon their request or a court decision, the lawyer explained.
Khaminsky noted that Gungin's case illustrates the peculiarities of the American legal system. He specified that the Russian was charged with several criminal offenses for the same actions. This allows the court, using the "principle of expediency" and its broad powers, to impose sentences of 100, 200, or more years. In Russia, such an approach is impossible: guilt must be proven in strict accordance with the law.
According to the lawyer, Gungin may also become a candidate for exchange. The creation of an "exchange fund" of detained Russians by initiating such cases looks unscrupulous, especially against the backdrop of the beginning of the establishment of relations between the Russian Federation and the United States, Khaminsky believes.
In addition, the lawyer recommended that Russian citizens, regardless of their location, exercise maximum caution on the Internet. According to him, searches, correspondence, and the use of programs are all recorded by companies controlled by the United States, and this data can become the basis for accusations. The story of Yuri Gungin is direct evidence of this, Khaminsky warned.
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