Chinese social network TikTok decided this sunday partially suspend its service in Russia and it will no longer allow uploading videos or broadcasting live from that country, the Russian agencies Tass and Interfax reported.
The reason is the law approved this week in Russia, which provides for sentences of up to 15 years in prison for disseminating what Moscow authorities may consider “false information” regarding the war in Ukraine.
According to the Russian agency Interfax, the Chinese company released a statement in which TikTok indicates that the safety of its employees and users remains its “top priority”.
1/ 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.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) March 6, 2022
“In light of Russia’s new fake news law, we have no choice but to discontinue live streaming and new content for our video service while we consider the security implications of this law,” TikTok said in a series of tweets, also clarifying that however, it maintains its courier service in Russia unchanged.
The last friday The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, decided to block access in Russia to the social network Facebook and later that decision was extended to Twitter.
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The move was in response to the European Union’s veto of Russian official media Russia Today and Sputnik, which the EU accuses of being part of Russia’s war machine.
The new legislation approved on Friday by the Duma (Russian parliament) sanctions with heavy fines and sentences of between 5 and 10 years in prison the dissemination of information that the Russian authorities consider false about the actions of its Armed Forces in Ukraine and calls to adopt sanctions against the country.
It also punishes with these penalties the “public actions” that seek to discredit the actions of the Russian Army in “the defense of the interests of Russia and its citizens, in the preservation of international security and peace”.
Source: Eluniverso
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