Apple reportedly agreed to store user data for Russian customers on servers inside the country

Apple has reportedly given in to the Russian's government demand that any data about users in the country be stored inside Russia.

The Moscow times reports, citing an article in the (Russian-language) Kommersant newspaper, that Apple has rented servers from a Russian company named IXcellerate.

IXcellerate already works with Western tech companies to help them stay within Russia's strict internet laws. Booking.com reportedly uses the company to host passport details and credit card numbers belong to Russian users.

If Apple has leased server space in Russia then it's probably going to use it to store everything from credit card numbers to iCloud backups, The Register points out.

A law in Russia came into effect on September 1 which requires internet companies to keep any data on Russian users within Russia. Facebook has reportedly refused to comply with the law, claiming that the data it holds isn't "personal data."

Chess champion Gary Kasparov was critical of Apple's decision on Twitter, claiming that its implications were bigger than the launch of the company's new products.

We reached out to Apple for comment on this report and will update if we hear back.