Russia intensifies campaign to censor social networks

As Russia attacks Ukraine, authorities in Moscow intensify a domestic censorship campaign, squeezing some of the world’s biggest tech companies.

On February 16, Russian authorities warned Google, Meta, Apple, Twitter, TikTok and others that they had until the end of the month to comply with a new law that requires them to create legal entities in the country. The so-called “landing law” makes companies and their employees more vulnerable to Russia’s legal system and the demands of government censors, legal experts and civil society groups said.

Using the prospect of fines, arrests and blocking or slowing down internet services, authorities are pushing companies to censor unfavorable material online, while keeping pro-Kremlin media unfiltered.

Apple, TikTok and Spotify have complied with the landing law, according to Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor, and Google has also taken steps in this regard. Twitch and Telegram do not. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and Twitter complied with some parts of the law but not others.

The companies face increasing pressure from Ukrainian officials and US lawmakers to limit their involvement in Russia. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has asked Apple, Google, Netflix and Meta to restrict access to their services within Russia. Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Meta, Reddit, Telegram and others, urging them not to allow Russian entities to use their platforms to sow confusion about the war.

In November, the Russian government listed 13 companies that must comply with the new landing law: Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Likeme, Pinterest, Viber, Telegram, Discord, Zoom, Apple, Google, Spotify and Twitch.

On February 16, a Roskomnadzor official said companies that fail to comply with the order by the end of the month will face penalties. In addition to fines and possible downtime or slowdowns, penalties can disrupt ad sales, search engine operations, data collection, and payments under the law.

Meta said it is taking steps to comply with the new unloading law, but has not changed the way it reviews government demands to remove content. Apple, Google and Twitter declined to comment on the law. TikTok, Telegram, Spotify and other targeted companies did not respond to requests for comment.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves