Reddit Fined in Russia for First Time for Not Deleting 'Banned Content': Report

Google, Twitch, Wikimedia have also come under scrutiny in Russia for failing to remove content that Moscow deems illegal.

By Reuters | Updated: 16 August 2023 18:01 IST

Reddit Fined in Russia for First Time for Not Deleting 'Banned Content': Report

Photo Credit: Reuters

RIA said the court had fined Reddit 2 million roubles ($20,365 or roughly Rs. 16 lakh)

Highlights

Wikipedia is one of the few surviving independent sources of information
Russia has said it was not planning to block Wikipedia
But, it has repeatedly fined the online encyclopaedia

Russia on Tuesday fined social media site Reddit for the first time for not deleting "banned content" that it said contained "fake" information about Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, RIA reported on Tuesday, citing a Moscow court.

Reddit joins a list of sites under scrutiny in Russia for failing to remove content that Moscow deems illegal, including Wikimedia, streaming service Twitch, and Google.

RIA said the court had fined Reddit 2 million roubles ($20,365 or roughly Rs. 16 lakh). Reddit did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Also on Tuesday, the court fined the Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, 2 million roubles, for failing to delete "fakes" about what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, Interfax reported.

Since invading Ukraine last year, Russia has tightened controls over coverage of the conflict by media and bloggers, introducing tougher punishments for "discrediting" the actions of its armed forces or publishing false information about them.

Wikimedia has previously said information that Russian authorities complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Review: Covering the Basics

Wikipedia is one of the few surviving independent sources of information in Russia since a state crackdown on online content intensified after Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine.

Russia has said it was not planning to block Wikipedia but has repeatedly fined the online encyclopedia.

Wikimedia has previously criticised the penalties as "part of an ongoing effort by the Russian government to limit the spread of reliable, well-sourced information in the country".

How Hackers Fooled AI to Show Flaws and Biases at DEF CON 2023

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.