TikTok has confirmed the suspension of live broadcasts from Russia as part of the country's new 'fake news' law aimed at silencing dissidents and limiting coverage of the invasion of Ukraine.
"We
have no choice but to suspend live broadcasts and new content from our video
service while we review the security implications of this law," the
company announced in a series of tweets.
The
move comes from TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd. China, after the
Russian parliament passed tough legislation that would impose prison terms on
those accused of spreading "false news" about the military or calling
for sanctions against Russia.
Last
Friday, the Russian communications organization, Roskomnadzor, decided to block
access in Russia to the social network Facebook, and this decision was later
extended to Twitter. This action came in response to the European Union's
veto of Russia's state media, Russia Today and Sputnik, which the European
Union accuses of being part of Russia's armaments machinery.
New
legislation passed by the State Duma (Russia's parliament) on Friday carries
heavy fines and prison terms of between 5 and 10 years for publishing
information that Russian authorities consider false about the actions of its
armed forces in Ukraine.
These
sanctions also punish "public actions" aimed at discrediting the
actions of the Russian army in "defending the interests of Russia and its
citizens, in order to maintain international peace and security."
