The big tech companies bent the knee (or, complied with local policies and laws) to Russia, China, Europe, etc already to do business over there, it's nothing particularly new but we are fully aware that Russia and China are not free countries, and Europe has stricter consumer / data protection laws (so it's less free for companies than the US).

> Europe has stricter consumer / data protection laws (so it's less free for companies than the US)

More free for the general populace, though (at least in this regard: I'm not making a holistic assessment in this sentence).

> we are fully aware that Russia and China are not free countries

Pot to kettle....

Only goes to show how the U.S. are becoming more like Russia by the day.

Yes

Just business under an authoritarian regime. Things happening the way they happen in Russia is not exactly something I'd aspire to, or readily accept…

Did anyone actually believe {MEGACORP} would prefer political alignment to money?