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Vladimir Putin Threatens To Block Twitter In Russia

By Chris King • Published: 17 Mar 2021 • 0:23

Vladimir Putin Threatens To Block Twitter within 30 days in Russia unless it removes ‘banned content’

Vadim Subbotin, the head of Russian internet watchdog Roskomnadzor, warned Twitter today (Tuesday 16) that Russia will block it within 30 days unless it removes what the government classes as ‘banned content’, which includes child porn and information on child suicide, and drugs.

Critics of Putin have said the crackdown has nothing to do with the internet content, but all to do with stopping his political opponents from using social media in the country to organise rallies in the wake of the arrest of Alexei Navalny.

The threat came just 24 hours after Navalny posted his first update on social media, a photo from inside his prison, showing him with his freshly-shaved head.

Roskomnadzor told Twitter how they had slowed their platform’s ability to function inside Russia after the tech giant had allegedly ignored “over 28,000 initial and repeated requests” to remove 3,168 tweets promoting the use of drugs, child pornography, and teenage suicide, and to address other content violations.
Sarkis Darbinyan, an internet freedom advocate with the Roskomsvoboda group, said, “Of course the main motive is the increase in street protest action. It’s 10 years since the Arab Spring this year and they’ve understood the internet is a driving force. Any desire to control the Russian internet is connected to the desire to control the information space”.
A statement on Roskomnadzor’s website said that all mobile devices and half of the devices using Twitter would face a disruption in service in an effort to “protect Russian citizens”.
Vadim Subbotin stated, “The mechanism envisions slowing down the transfer of photo and video content without any limitations on text messages. Users will be able to exchange messages freely”, adding that the restrictions would remain in place until Twitter complied with the request to remove the offending content and warned that failure to do so could lead to a full blockage of Twitter inside Russia.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said, “Nobody has any desire to block anything, but taking measures that force the company to fulfil our laws is completely justifiable”, while, during a meeting in Moscow last week with young volunteers, Mr Putin told them, “We all, unfortunately, know what the internet is and how it’s used to spread entirely unacceptable content”, as reported by express.co.uk.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments

    • Naimah Yianni

      17 March 2021 • 15:48

      I don´t blame him. Big social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow child porn, porn generally, beheadings by ISIS (apparently) and the rest, but then take down anyone who comments on the American elections being a fraud (only this time though, when the claims of interference by Russia were made in the 2016 elections that was allowed of course). If you question the covid narrative or vaccines, people are censored. When you question immigration rules you are branded racist. If you question trans issues you are branded sexist or genderist or whatever it is. If people out there can´t see how totally one sided, corrupt and false this whole narrative is, maybe they deserve what they get as a result. Like Meghan Markle as president LMAO

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