Moscow fined two companies for posting propaganda against the country's law.
The government tapped the streaming platform Twitch about content containing a Ukrainian political figure. Meanwhile, it also hit TikTok because of its failure to remove LGBT propaganda, which bypasses Russian laws.
Russia Penalizes TikTok and Twitch
(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The dispute between Moscow and the tech companies continues.
According to a recent report by Reuters, Russia sanctioned ByteDance's video-sharing platform because it violated the LGBT Propaganda Law.
Even Twitch did not escape Russia's grasp after being punished for posting "fake" information about a known Ukrainian personality. The platform reportedly hosted a video interview with the said figure, according to the government.
When Reuters asked the two companies about the issue, none answered. While Interfax confirmed that Tiktok demanded a termination of the proceedings, no information is shared further.
Moscow's Tagansky District Court slapped TikTok with a 3 million-ruble fine ($51,000). Regarding this issue, several reports wrote that the case about TikTok was all about allegations.
According to some news agencies, the platform was accused of promoting "distorted" representation of sexual values, LGBT, and feminism."
On the other hand, the court hit Twitch with a 4-million ruble fine or $68,000. Moscow said the streaming service had released a clip about the interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Oleksiy Arestovych, his adviser.
Before this punishment occurred, Twitch was slapped with a separate fine (3 million rubles) earlier this year for the same reason.
When Russia waged a conflict with Ukraine, it immediately warned the global tech firms about the implications of the problem. Additionally, it issued a warning to companies that would violate its policies.
The fine for Twitch is bigger because the platform refused to delete the malicious content which Russia sees as a source of "unreliable information."
Related Article: TikTok's 'Shadow-Promotion' Applies to Russian-Based Accounts; Banned Videos Still Keep on Showing Up
Russia is Against With LGBT Promotion
In another report by Yahoo, Russia passed a "gay propaganda" law nine years ago. This time, the government decided to expand it, and the ban now includes the promotion of homosexual relationships to youngsters.
According to the lawmakers, it should be further changed and tweaked its coverage to adults and minor exploiters.
Aside from Twitch and TikTok, Russia also fined Wikimedia Foundation for refusing to delete propaganda about the Russian soldiers. It paid 4 million rubles to Moscow as a fine.
Back in April, Russia filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple for causing intentional moral damage following the closure of Apple Pay in the region.
The Cupertino giant's decision to shut down Apple Pay came after the European Union threw an economic sanction on Russia. Google Pay was also suspended in the country.
Two months later, the Kremlin sued Pinterest, Twitch, and Airbnb for violating personal data legislation.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
