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Kaspersky Lab halts cooperation with Europol on fighting cyber crimes

The move comes after the European Parliament passed a resolution on bolstering protection from cyber threats posed by Russia, China and North Korea

© Sergei Savostianov/TASS

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab announced a decision on Thursday to freeze joint projects with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, on fighting cyber crimes.

The move comes after the European Parliament passed a resolution on June 13 on bolstering protection from cyber threats posed by Russia, China and North Korea, the company said in a statement.

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"20 years working with law enforcement leading to multiple arrests of cybecriminals. Based upon today’s unprecedented, zero-evidence decision from the EU Parliament, we are forced to freeze our cooperation with LE organizations including Europol," the company’s CEO Eugene Kaspersky wrote in his Instagram post.

Although the resolution is non-binding and reflects the opinion of some MPs, it shows obvious disrespect towards Kaspersky Lab, which has always been Europe’s reliable partner in combating cyber crimes, the company said. "Therefore, our company made a difficult decision to temporarily suspend numerous joint projects in fighting cyber crimes, including with Europol."

The projects will be frozen until the European Parliament furnishes explanations on passing the resolution. Kaspersky Lab hopes the projects will be resumed and is ready to meet with the members of the European Parliament and answer their questions regarding its business, leadership and expert knowledge, technologies and the methodology of organizing its work.

"We are convinced that this decision does not contribute to creating an open and safe unified digital market in Europe and instead it encourages its fragmentation and decreasing its competitive ability," it said.

The US authorities decided to abandon the products by Kaspersky Lab in late 2017, citing risks for information security. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the US authorities decision against Kaspersky Lab politicized. Russia’s authorities dismissed these steps of the US government as manifestation of unfair methods of competition.

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