Russia Fines TikTok For LGBTQ+ Propaganda
Russia has fined TikTok for failing to delete content that violates Russian laws on “LGBTQ+ propaganda”. It also fined streaming service Twitch for hosting a video interview with a Ukrainian political figure that Moscow said contained “fake” information.
According to Reuters, a TikTok representative in the courtroom insisted the proceedings be terminated, without giving further details.
The fines mark the latest step in Moscow's long-running dispute with technology companies, with penalties over content, demands over data storage, and some outright bans. TikTok, owned by Beijing-based IT company ByteDance, was fined 3 million roubles, Moscow's Tagansky District Court said.
Twitch, owned by Amazon, was fined 4 million roubles, the court said. News agencies said the case had been drawn up in response to Twitch hosting an interview with Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Twitch was fined 3 million roubles earlier this year for hosting another Arestovych interview.
Russia passed a law in early March, soon after sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, that prohibits “discrediting” the armed forces, with a sentence of up to 15 years. Foreign tech firms have been warned against violating that law.
TASS reported on Tuesday that Twitch faces two new fines of up to 8 million roubles for not deleting what Russia considers unreliable information about the course of its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Separately, the Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts online encyclopedia Wikipedia, also faces a 4 million rouble fine for not deleting “fakes” about the Russian army, RIA reported.
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