Russia slows down Twitter, citing inappropriate content

The Russian internet regulator claims that the social network must remove forbidden content including posts on suicide, drugs and child pornography, threatening a total blockage  

Russia slows down Twitter, citing inappropriate content

Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The Russian government's internet regulator took steps to slow down the loading speeds of Twitter on all mobile devices and on 50% of non-mobile devices in the country due to violation of Russian law, according to a report by the TASS news agency. 

“Starting March 10, 2021, centralized response measures have been taken against Twitter to protect Russian citizens and force the internet service to comply with Russian legislation,” said the Federal Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Communications Oversight Service (Roskomnadzor) said. It warned that it could block the platform if it "continues to ignore legal requirements."

The regulator demands the social network to remove content related to suicides, child pornography and information about drug use. It said that as of Wednesday there were more than 3,000 posts containing illegal content, and that it had sent more than 28,000 requests for removal. TASS noted that last month a new law went into effect in Russia that requires social networks to identify and block illegal content independently.     

The truth, however, is a little more complicated. Twitter, as is well known, serves as fertile ground for leading political processes, protests and national oppositions around the world, which have the potential of spreading quickly and widely, and may be a threat to the rule of President Putin. For example, the president certainly does not want the continuation of the spread of the hashtag #FreeNavalny, calling for his biggest political rival, Alexei Navalny, to be released from jail, or the tweets by Navalny himself, who has more than 2 million followers. 

Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, told CNBC that the "threat of restricting, blocking or banning social media platforms appears to be a growing trend for countries notorious for harsher, less democratic regimes." Other countries, such as Turkey and India, have slowed down the network's activities in the past. According to reports from Russia, the entire internet was operating in a limited and slower manner on Wednesday.