Moscow Restricted Twitter Access In Russia

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Since March 10, the Russian authorities have been slowing down Twitter due to numerous violations and ignoring requests to remove prohibited information. For the first time in Russia, the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) is taking measures against an Internet resource. Facebook risks to become the next to face a slowdown.

Twitter should by slowed down on all mobile devices and 50% stationary ones over its refusal to remove banned content. The slowdown affects the transmission of photos and videos without influencing text messages.

If Twitter does not follow the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor, it may be blocked in Russia.

According to Roscomnadzor, since 2017, it has sent more than 28 thousand requests to remove content. As of March 10, 2021, 2,569 materials with calls to commit suicide by minors, 450 – with child pornography, 149 – with information on drug use remain unmoved, according to the reports by RBK news agency.

“Russians should have access to all the world’s resources. This is the main goal,” Russian President’s Press Secretary, Sergey Peskov told reporters on March 10, commenting on the issue.

“However, the supervising is to ensure that these resources operate in the legal field and comply with the legal requirements of Russian departments on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Peskov continued.

The article on “Violation of the procedure for restricting access to information, information resources” was introduced to the Code of Administrative Offenses after the adoption of amendments to the Russian Constitution in 2020. It obliges owners of social platforms to identify prohibited information and restrict access to it.

In addition to Twitter, all leading social networks operating in Russia, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram and YouTube, were accused of not deleting prohibited information.

Roskomnadzor has the ability to limit the speed of social networks using equipment installed on the operators networks in accordance with the law on the “sovereign Internet” adopted in 2019.

Prohibited information includes, for example, calls to commit suicide by minors, child pornography, and information about the use of drugs. Among other things, social networks have been fined for disseminating calls for minors to participate in unsanctioned political rallies.

Moscow appears to have stepped up its internet regulation policy after the recent rallies in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. All major social networks were used for fake news dissemination and political solicitation among minors. (LINK, LINK, LINK)

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