TikTok is immediately halting livestreaming and the posting of new content while the company evaluates Russia’s newly passed law cracking down on independent journalism, the social networking service said in a statement Sunday.
“TikTok is an outlet for creativity and entertainment that can provide a source of relief and human connection during a time of war when people are facing immense tragedy and isolation. However, the safety of our employees and our users remain our highest priority,”It said: WebsiteFollow-up tweets.
It went on: “In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected. We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.”
On Friday, Russia’s parliamentA law was unanimously approvedbanning “fake news” — or news that Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin finds objectionable — with a punishment of up to 15 years in prison. The law targets information concerning the distribution of “false news” about the country’s recent invasion of Ukraine — which Putin insists is officially a “military operation.”
Some of the last independent Russian media have had to be shut down due to the censorship legislation. Ekho Moskvy radio station and Dozhd TV stations were among them. Many other sites have either been blocked, or their access to social networks seems to have been slowened in Russia.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Russia’s internet censor agency Roskomnadzor on Friday said it plans to block access to Facebook, cutting off a significant source of information about the Ukraine invasion as the conflict continues.
According to the agency, there have been 26 instances of bans against Russian media outlets and information resources on Facebook since October 2020. According to the agency, Facebook had blocked access to Zvezda TV, the RIA Novosti news agent, Sputnik and Gazeta.ru.
Twitter also banned over 100 accounts who promoted the proRussian hashtag #IStandWithPutin Saturday in an attempt by the tech company, to fight online misinformation by individuals and groups affiliated with the Russian government.
Twitter Inc. stated in a statement it will begin labeling links shared by state-backed Russian outlets on its platform. Twitter stated in a statement that it will begin labeling all links from state-backed Russian outlets shared on its platform. “overwhelming majority” of content from state-backed Russian media — more than 45,000 tweets a day — is being tweeted by individuals rather than by institutions.
