Image source, Getty Images
- Author, John Da Silva
- Role, Business reporter
Kaspersky said it had made the “sad and difficult decision” to leave the company “as business opportunities in the country are no longer viable”.
This comes after Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said last month that Moscow’s influence over the company posed significant risks to US infrastructure and services.
Kaspersky, which has operated in the US for two decades, denies the allegations.
“Starting July 20, 2024, Kaspersky will gradually phase out its US operations and eliminate US-based positions,” the company said in a statement.
Its US website has stopped selling its antivirus and cybersecurity tools, with a message saying “purchase not available for US customers”.
The announcement comes after the sale and distribution of Kaspersky products was banned in the US.
Ms Raimondo said the US was compelled to take action because of Russia’s “capacity and… intent to collect and weaponise the personal information of Americans”.
“Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software in the United States or provide updates to software already in use,” the Commerce Department said.
The ruling uses broad powers created by the Trump administration to ban or restrict transactions between U.S. companies and technology firms from “foreign adversaries” such as Russia and China.
The policy effectively bans downloading software updates, reselling and licensing products from September 29, while new businesses will be restricted within 30 days of the announcement.
Sellers and retailers who violate the restrictions will face fines from the Department of Commerce.
According to the Ministry of Trade, the Moscow-headquartered multinational company has offices in 31 countries worldwide, serving more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients in more than 200 countries.
At the time, Kaspersky said it intended to pursue “all legally available options” to fight the ban, and denied involvement in any activity that threatened US security.
