- US Federal workers must install an app powered by a Russian-founded software vendor
- Security researchers discovered outside code controlling parts of the government application
- Elfsight’s Russian operations continued growing despite global geopolitical tensions
The FAA and other federal employees must now install a $1.4 million White House app containing code built by Elfsight, a Russian-founded vendor.
Elfsight was founded in 2016 in the Russian city of Tula by chief executive Andrey Yusupov and chief technology officer Vladimir Fedotov.
The company now markets itself as a European software provider headquartered in Andorra, though its original Russian entity remains active and growing.
Business ties that persist
In 2025, the Russian entity reported revenue of about 126.5 million rubles, roughly $1.6 million, marking a 71% increase year on year.
The company’s headcount also grew to 61 employees, and job postings show continued hiring of Russian developers into 2026.
One 2026 job posting sought a Moscow-based support specialist, offering between 60,000 and 100,000 rubles per month for full-time work.
Under Russian law, companies handling user data can be compelled to store that data locally and hand it over to state authorities.
However, an Elfsight customer support specialist claims that the company has “never received any request” from Russian authorities for user data or access.
Security review and data practices
A network analysis by the security firm Atomic Computer found that Elfsight’s servers determine which JavaScript files run inside the White House app.
The same session also accepted more than ten cookies from Elfsight, alongside Google DoubleClick advertising domains loaded through the app’s YouTube sections.
Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman, said the app “does not request or collect any user locations” and called all its information “safe and secure.”
A White House official later said Elfsight’s only remaining script loads a tax calculator inside a sandboxed webview, disconnected from cookies or files.
The official added that Elfsight passed a full security review and is used widely by brands including UFC, FIFA, the NBA, and Cartier.
That same security clearance sits uneasily alongside records showing Elfsight’s founders retained accounts at sanctioned Russian banks and kept traveling to Russia.
One founder wrote in a private message that Russian tax authorities had summoned him for questioning tied to a separate investment platform.
That legal exposure means a Russian-rooted vendor still effectively controls code running inside a mandatory application on federal government devices.
Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict started in 2022, the United States and its allies have imposed sanctions on numerous Russian companies and individuals.
It remains unclear why an app with such ties to Russia was cleared for use on White House and federal government devices in the first place.
So far, neither Elfsight nor the White House has offered a clear justification for that approval decision.
Via The Newsground
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