Russia Slows Twitter's Speed Following Protests, Threatens Complete Suspension: Reuters

Russia admittedly slowed down Twitter Inc’s (NYSE: TWTR) internet speed for its alleged non-removal of banned content along with a possible suspension of the U.S. platform upon further non-compliance, Reuters reports.

What Happened: Russian authorities charged five social media platforms Twitter, Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) Google, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB), TikTok, and Telegram for not deleting posts urging children participation in illegal protests based on a Moscow court ruling.

Russia has traditionally assumed a more laidback role in internet policing compared to China. However, the latest initiative was fueled by rising domestic political tensions over Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s arrest.

Twitter’s alleged non-deletion led to over 3,000 posts containing illegal content concerning child pornography, drug abuse, and minor suicide as of Wednesday. 

Why It Matters: The slowing down of the Twitter speed would be subject to every mobile device and 50% of non-mobile devices. Further non-compliance with the law could entail a complete suspension of the services as cautioned by the regulators.

The Kremlin assured regarding non-blockage of content but mandated compliance to the law.

Parliament’s lower house in December supported hefty new fines on platforms for non-deletion of banned content and discouraged any discrimination against Russian media.

Moscow has gradually introduced stricter internet laws in recent years, requiring search engines to remove specific search results, messaging services to share encryption keys with security services, and platforms to store user data on servers in Russia.

Russia tried to ban the Telegram messenger service in 2018 but and lifted the ban subsequently.

Price action: TWTR shares are up 0.96% at $68.17 on the last check Wednesday.

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