People are silhouetted as they pose with laptops in front of a screen projected with a Google logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014.
People are silhouetted as they pose with laptops in front of a screen projected with a Google logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014. Reuters/Dado Ruvic

Google has started on its plan to move out its engineers from Russian office. According to the tech giant, it has transferred engineers previously in other regions though some believe that it may have something to do with Putin's administration trying to censor internet access.

Google refused to identify the number of people it plans to move out according to a report by BBC. Despite Google's claims that it is natural move for the company to relocate personnel, some reports noted that it may also have something to do with Russian parliament's recent moves.

Russia passed a law requesting internet firms to manage and keep personal data of citizens within the region. BBC reported that the Kremlin has explained that the goal of the law is to support data protection. Critics of the regulation believe otherwise saying that it is a means for the government to censor internet access. This will allow the administration to block non-compliant websites.

Majority of tech firms do keep user data but these are stored in huge data infrastructures throughout the globe. They do not connect or attribute the data to the user's location most of the time. This means that data cannot be stored in just one country.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will still have a number of personnel in the country specifically for support, marketing and sales. The company already released a statement on the matter: "We are deeply committed to our Russian users and customers and we have a dedicated team in Russia working to support them."

The company has been involved in a "thermonuclear" war with Apple especially following Steve Jobs' declaration. The former Apple CEO expressed his displeasure over Android previously. He also said that the company's goal was to correct the Android problem. PC Mag quoted Jobs: "I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

Apple's moves against Android may be apparent but Android continues to dominate. According to the Motley Fool, patent disputes and other Android cases from Apple's side were all meant to stop Android devices from gaining traction in the market. Analysts argue it is impossible to stop other manufacturers from releasing a similar hardware or software. Apple may have started realizing this as it has been backtracking on its attempts working out disputes rather than pushing them aggressively. Nonetheless, analysts pointed out that the market can always work itself out. In fact, Apple can remain on top if it focuses on what it does best: by creating premium products that target its market effectively more than other companies.