After the Biden administration announced that it would ban the sale and distribution of Kaspersky antivirus software in the United States, the company decided to leave the US.
Kaspersky will move its operations from the US. Archive photo
Officials of the large Russian company Kaspersky, known for its anti-virus software, recently told the BBC that they had taken “sad and difficult decision” to leave the US, “because business opportunities in the country are no longer viable.”
This decision comes after, last month, the Secretary of State for Commerce, Gina Raimondo, said that Moscow’s influence on the company represents a significant risk to US infrastructure and services, especially considering the specifics of the company, which is one of the most well-known manufacturers of anti-virus programs for computers.
Although it denied the allegations, Kaspersky, which has been operating in the US for two decades, complied with this decision and is already preparing to relocate its activity.
“Starting July 20, 2024, Kaspersky will gradually reduce its US operations and eliminate positions in this state,” the firm said in a statement.
On its US website, Kaspersky has already stopped selling its antivirus and cybersecurity tools, with potential buyers being met with a message that says: “Purchase not available for US customers.”
The announcement came after sales and distribution of Kaspersky products were banned in the US.
Secretary of State for Commerce Gina Raimondo explained that the US was forced to take this measure because of “Russia’s ability and … intent to collect and weaponize Americans’ personal information” and since the company is a Russian one, the Americans do not want to take any risks in terms of cyber security.
“Kaspersky will no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software in the United States or provide updates for software already in use,” the Commerce Department said.
The ruling was based on a set of laws created by the Trump administration to ban or restrict transactions between US firms and technology companies from “adversarial foreign” nations such as Russia and China. Sellers and resellers who violate the restrictions will face fines from the Commerce Department.
It effectively banned the download of software updates, resale and licensing of products from September 29, while new software was to be restricted within 30 days of the announcement.
According to the Commerce Department, the Moscow-based multinational company has offices in 31 countries around the world, serving more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients in more than 200 countries.
Initially, Kaspersky said it intended to follow “all legally available options” to fight the ban and denied it was involved in any activity that would threaten US security. Now, however, he returned to the decision and announced that he will leave the USA.
