At the end of February, Intel closed access to its site for downloading drivers and other software for residents of Russia – it could only be opened via a VPN. However, now the company has removed this restriction, which was noticed by the Izvestia publication.
Due to the inability to download the necessary drivers for components from Intel without a VPN, Russian residents had to look for the necessary software on third-party resources, including torrent trackers – this had nothing to do with security, since such directories have a high risk of spreading viruses.
It is not officially known why Intel nevertheless decided to open access to its website in Russia, but the head of Digital Consulting Solutions Alexander Skomorokhin has an assumption – the reason may be that not only local residents with domestic companies, but also foreign firms operating in Russia. Blocking access to the site may have prevented Intel from fulfilling its commercial obligations to partners/customers.
Mobile Research Group analyst Eldar Murtazin believes that in matters of restrictions for Russia, American corporations are guided by each other, since they are closely interconnected. For example, in December, Microsoft allowed Russians to freely download Windows from the official website – users might be less willing to do so if Intel’s restrictions made it difficult to set up and operate the operating system.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
