Twitter’s Punitive Slowdown Partially Halted by Russia After Removal of Illegal Content

Russian watchdog Roskomnadzor said it no longer planned to block the service and the slowdown would only remain on mobile devices.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 18 May 2021 10:26 IST
Highlights
  • A Twitter spokesperson welcomed the decision not to block its service
  • Roskomnadzor found Facebook and YouTube as having posted illegal material
  • Twitter had removed 91 percent of banned content since March

Roskomnadzor had set May 15 as a deadline for Twitter to delete what it said was banned content

Russia partially halted a punitive slowdown of Twitter on Monday after it deleted a large portion of content deemed illegal by Moscow, but warned other US Internet platforms to comply with local legislation or face similar penalties.

State communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has since March impeded the speed of Twitter for not removing banned content quickly enough, and threatened to block it entirely, part of a wider drive by Moscow to tighten its control over the Internet.

On Monday, however, the watchdog said it no longer planned to block the service and the slowdown would only remain on mobile devices.

Advertisement

A Twitter spokesperson welcomed the decision not to block its service.

Advertisement

"We remain deeply committed to offering a safe service to account holders around the world — including those in Russia," the spokesperson said, adding that Twitter would continue to talk with Roskomnadzor.

Roskomnadzor said it had identified other Internet platforms, including Facebook and Alphabet's YouTube, as having posted illegal material.

Advertisement

"If these platforms fail to take appropriate action, they may face similar sanctions," Roskomnadzor said in a statement.

Facebook and YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Advertisement

Roskomnadzor, which had set May 15 as a deadline for Twitter to delete what it said was banned content, says it wants the US social media platform to delete posts that contain child pornography, drug abuse information or calls for minors to commit suicide.

Twitter denies allowing its platform to be used to promote illegal behaviour, and says it has a zero-tolerance policy for child sexual exploitation and prohibits the promotion of suicide or self-harm.

Roskomnadzor said Twitter had removed 91 percent of banned content since March, with 563 items now accessible, down from almost 6,000 in total.

It said Twitter needed to remove all banned items and in future delete illegal posts within 24 hours, as demanded by Russian law, for all restrictions to be lifted.

© Thomson Reuters 2021
 


What is the best phone under Rs. 30,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Twitter, Roskomnadzor
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Amazon Sale 2025: Mac Mini (2024) Price Drops to an All-Time Low in India
  2. Vivo, iQOO Smartphones Likely to Switch to Origin OS in India
  3. Instamart Quick India Movement Sale 2025: Best Offers on Electronics
  4. Xiaomi 17 Series Tipped to Go Official on This Date
  5. Biggest Offers on Smartphones During Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale
  1. Amazon Sale 2025: Mac Mini (2024) Price Drops to an All-Time Low in India
  2. Xiaomi 17 Series Tipped to Launch on September 30
  3. Vivo, iQOO Smartphones Likely to Switch to Origin OS in India, Replacing Funtouch OS
  4. iPhone 18 Pro Models Tipped to Retain iPhone 17 Pro Design, Could Feature Transparent Back
  5. Tencent Says Sony 'Monopolising' Genre Conventions, Seeks Dismissal of Light of Motiram Lawsuit
  6. Samsung Galaxy A17 4G Launched With MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, 5,000mAh Battery: Price, Specifications
  7. Instamart Quick India Movement Sale 2025 Goes Live: Best Offers on Smartphones, Smartwatches and More
  8. Bitcoin Stabilises Near $116,900 as Altcoins Push Higher
  9. Mahavatar Narsimha Now Streaming on Netflix: Everything You Need to Know About This Animated Mythological Drama
  10. Nintendo Switch Online Adds First Third-Party Game Boy Advance Titles from Namco This September
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.