Facebook, Telegram Fined by Russia Over Failing to Remove Banned Content

Earlier this year, Russia's Roskomnadzor started slowing down Twitter and threatened it with a ban.

By Associated Press | Updated: 11 June 2021 14:46 IST

Facebook, Telegram Fined by Russia Over Failing to Remove Banned Content

A Moscow court fined Facebook a total of RUB 17 million (roughly Rs. 1.7 crores)

Highlights

Roskomnadzor started slowing down Twitter
Telegram was fined RUB 10 million (roughly Rs. 1 crore)
The government has repeatedly aired threats to block Facebook and Twitter

Russian authorities on Thursday ordered Facebook and the messaging app Telegram to pay steep fines for failing to remove banned content, a move that could be part of growing government efforts to tighten control over social media platforms amid political dissent.

A Moscow court fined Facebook a total of RUB 17 million (roughly Rs. 1.7 crores) and Telegram RUB 10 million (roughly Rs. 1 crore). It wasn't immediately clear what type of content the platforms failed to take down.

It was the second time both companies have been fined in recent weeks. On May 25, Facebook was ordered to pay RUB 26 million (roughly Rs. 2.6 crores) for not taking down content deemed unlawful by the Russian authorities. A month ago, Telegram was also ordered to pay RUB 5 million (roughly Rs. 50 lakhs) for not taking down calls to protest.

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

Earlier this year, Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor started slowing down Twitter and threatened it with a ban, also over its alleged failure to take down unlawful content. Officials maintained the platform failed to remove content encouraging suicide among children and containing information about drugs and child pornography.

The crackdown unfolded after Russian authorities criticised social media platforms that have been used to bring tens of thousands of people into the streets across Russia this year to demand the release of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most well-known critic. The wave of demonstrations has been a major challenge to the Kremlin.

Officials alleged that social media platforms failed to remove calls for children to join the protests. Putin has urged police to act more to monitor social media platforms and to track down those who draw children into “illegal and unsanctioned street actions.”

Twitter Gets One Month to Remove ‘Banned’ Content in Russia

The Russian government's efforts to tighten control of the Internet and social media date back to 2012, when a law allowing authorities to blacklist and block certain online content was adopted. Since then, a growing number of restrictions targeting messaging apps, websites and social media platforms have been introduced in Russia.

The government has repeatedly aired threats to block Facebook and Twitter, but stopped short of outright bans — probably fearing the move would elicit too much public outrage. Only the social network LinkedIn, which wasn't very popular in Russia, has been banned by authorities for its failure to store user data in Russia.

In 2018, Roskomnadzor moved to block Telegram over its refusal to hand over encryption keys used to scramble messages, but failed to fully restrict access to the app, disrupting hundreds of websites in Russia instead. Last year, the watchdog officially withdrew the demands to restrict the app, which continued to be widely used despite the ban, including by government institutions.

Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss all things crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, 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.