Russia fined Amazon’s streaming service Twitch for hosting a video interview with a Ukrainian political figure. It also doled out fines to TikTok for failing to delete content that violates Russian laws on “LGBT Propaganda.”
These lawsuits mark the latest step in Russia’s long-running dispute with Big Tech. Russia has long demanded penalties over content and data storage. The nation has also infamously instituted some outright bans against certain social media platforms or Big Tech apps.
A Russian court on Tuesday fined Twitch $68,000 for failing to remove an interview with a Ukrainian political figure, claiming the interview contained “fake” information. Russian authorities said the interview violated Russian laws on the spreading of fake information.
The interview was with Oleksiy Arestovych, who is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Twitch was fined 3 million roubles earlier this year for hosting another Arestovych interview.
TikTok was fined $51,000 over accusations the company was “promoting non-traditional values, LGBT, feminism and a distorted representation of traditional sexual values” on its platform.
In March, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow passed a law that prohibits “discrediting” the armed forces. The sentence is up to 15 years in prison. Foreign tech firms have been warned against violating this law.
According to the Russian-owned news site TASS, 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.
Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, it has attempted to silence any media within its own country that questions or disparages the invasion of its neighboring nation.
TikTok, meanwhile, is accused of violating the “gay propaganda” law, which Russia is considering expanding. The law was passed in 2013 and bans any person or entity from promoting homosexual relationships with children. Lawmakers have argued the law should be expanded to include adults as well and fines for exposing minors to “LGBT propaganda” should be increased.
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