Why US government banned Kaspersky
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security imposed the ‘first of its kind’ ban, saying that the software poses national security and privacy risks due to the company’s Russian origins.
“Russia has shown it has the capacity, and even more than that, the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans. And that’s why we are compelled to take the action that we’re taking today,” said US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
What it means for users
The ban will come into effect next month and three units of the Russian company will be added to a trade restriction list. This means that Kaspersky will be barred from selling products to individual customers as well as businesses starting July 20.
Raimondo said that consumers who are already using Kaspersky’s antivirus are not violating the law and they will be eligible for software and security updates till September 29.
“That means your software and services will degrade. That’s why I strongly recommend that you immediately find an alternative to Kaspersky,” Raimpondo added.
