Yandex, Russia's search engine company and advertising firm, is allegedly harvesting data from millions of iOS users and sending it to Russia, according to a new claim.
Yandex is Sending Data to Russia
Yandex, Russia's version of Google, maintains a search engine, advertising tools, and other services. Its services include the AppMetrica API, which a lot of developers use as an easy way to get analytics data for their apps.
According to The Financial Times, security researcher Zach Edwards has discovered that Yandex analytics code is embedded in 52,000 apps on Apple and Google software.
From there, Yandex has reportedly reached hundreds of millions of iOS users, according to Apple Insider.
Yandex acknowledged that the data collected through its API and other services get sent to Russian servers. The search engine noted that it had a strict process for dealing with government requests for data, which includes turning out any requests that do not comply with relevant procedural and legal requirements.
However, security experts warn that as soon as the data is stored in Russia, there is nothing that Yandex can do to stop the Russian government from getting it.
Also, some of the data that the Yandex API collects include metadata that can be used to identify iOS users.
Edwards, who discovered the code's prevalence, said that using apps that send the data to Russia is dangerous for people with a high-threat profile or working in high-profile jobs. It can potentially lead to attacks on home networks and other forms of digital surveillance.
The apps that use the AppMetrica API include messaging service, games, location-sharing tools, and a lot of virtual private network VPN apps.
Seven of the VPNs that the researchers identified explicitly target the Ukrainians. The total downloads of apps with the API reach hundreds of millions.
Yandex has defended its tool, comparing it to the development kits provided by Google and other search engines. It also said that it has never given out any information on users of any apps with AppMetrica installed on them, nor have they asked to.
Apple said that the AppMetrica API could be halted with its own App Tracking Transparency technology.
Yandex Fired US-Based Workers
The news about Yandex harvesting the data of iOS users came after the search engine, and advertising firm reportedly laid off dozens of its US-based workers.
The company had an autonomous vehicle fleet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it claimed that the state suspended their licenses. However, the state of Michigan denied this claim.
According to The Verge, the licenses of the vehicles were due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Because of this, Yandex is stopping its AV testing in Michigan. This includes stopping the tests and deployments of its delivery robots at its campuses in Ohio and Arizona.
On Mar. 9, the Michigan Department of Transportation suspended the company's vehicle licenses. This caused Yandex to let go of six of its drivers in Ann Arbor.
On top of the six drivers, Yandex also fired 21 workers in Ohio and Arizona working as on-the-ground support staff for the company's delivery robots.
In 2021, Grubhub and Yandex teamed up to deliver lunches on college campuses.
Related Article: Russia's Search Giant Yandex Making Self-Driving Minibus Shuttle
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Written by Sophie Webster
