Yandexthe Russian search engine, may be able to extrapolate data from devices iOS e Android and send them to Russian servers. The discovery was made by the researcher Zach Edwards and subsequently confirmed by numerous other cybersecurity experts, who pointed the finger at a software called AppMetrica, an SDK used in over 52.000 app to monitor the use and performance of advertising campaigns.
Yandex sends data to Russian servers
According to what was declared by the Russian multinational, the operation of this software would be completely similar to that of Google Firebase, and therefore would require the consent of the users to send the data and that in any case such information does not include sensitive data on individual accounts. However, the experts are of the opposite opinion.
As if that were not enough, in all this there is also to take into account that the Russian law allows the government to access the data collected by company without any kind of legal authorization, which obviously makes the whole matter even more concerning. Yandex itself is not in a good position however.
After the invasion of Ukraine by the Russia the search engine was accused of censoring war news, most likely at the explicit request of the Kremlin, and has now lost a very large number of investments made in the West and is at risk of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Google has announced that it will officially begin to investigate the matter, but many have already deactivated AppMetrica.