Apple has been under fire for months after the release of a leaked document detailing the extent of the company’s cooperation with Russian intelligence operatives and the use of third-party data brokers.
The company has denied the claims and insisted that it has nothing to hide.
But some of the companies that were accused of aiding the Russian state have now been exposed as part of the investigation.
In the past, the US has also been accused of using Apple as a “data dump” for the purpose of spying on the Russian government.
Apple has a history of cooperating with the Russian intelligence agencies, which has helped it to expand its product range and make it more convenient for Russian customers to buy iPhones, iPads and other tech products.
The FBI has also used Apple products to help track down former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
In a statement, Apple said that it “strongly disagrees” with the FBI’s decision to use Apple as part, and that it is cooperating with their investigation.
However, some of those companies have now confirmed that they had cooperated with the investigation, and some have even said they would not be selling products to the US government in the future.
The latest allegations come as a new report from the German newspaper Die Welt alleges that Apple has also helped the Russian spy agency, the GRU, with the development of an iPhone.
It also claims that Apple cooperated directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on behalf of the Russian FSB, the successor to the Soviet KGB, to create a device for the FSB that it could use to intercept internet traffic.
Apple is reportedly a huge part of that process, as the device was created by the GRUP, the intelligence agency that the GRUS had a partnership with.
However that cooperation was also a part of a broader investigation into the company that was first launched in 2014.
It is now part of an ongoing FBI investigation into whether or not the Russian authorities have used Apple to spy on American citizens, which is also the subject of a separate criminal investigation.
According to Die Wente, Apple has cooperated on this project with the GRUD, but it is unclear if the cooperation is complete.
