TikTok has temporarily suspended livestreaming and new video content in Russia after the country passed a law banning “fake news” about its military on Friday.
The decision was announced Sunday afternoon in a tweet and in an update to the platform’s newsroom post about digital literacy initiatives amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“TikTok is an outlet for creativity and entertainment that can provide a source of relief and human connection during a time of war when people are facing immense tragedy and isolation,” the statement reads in part. “However, our highest priority is the safety of our employees and our users, and in light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia while we review the safety implications of this law.”
The platform’s in-app messaging service will not be affected by the decision.
The Roskomnadzor, the federal agency in charge of monitoring and regulating media in the country, previously criticized TikTok for removing news stories from state media and “discriminating” against Russian accounts. The agency also blocked access to Facebook on Friday in response to the platform banning state media outlets like RT and Sputnik in the European Union.
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