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The pictures, no videos. Russia’s Twitter users faced service interruptions on Wednesday after the media regulator stated it slowed down the country’s social network’s activity.
Internet watchdog says Twitter has repeatedly said no to remove illegal content on drug use, suicide, or child pornography.
In recent weeks, Moscow has been critical of foreign social networks for failing to moderate posts in support of Kremlin campaigner Alexei Navalny, whose arrest was of last month drew global condemnation and nationwide protests.
But the statement of Roskomnadzor which was refered to political matters, slamming Twitter among other things for not responding to “calls for minors to commit mass suicide on March 3, 2021.”
“The slowdown will most probably be implemented on 100% of mobile games and 50% of fixed devices,” the statement said.
“If Twitter continues to ignore the words of the law, the enforcement measures will be maintained in line with the responsible management and all the way to blocking,” Roskomnadzor continued.
The agency says Twitter has dismissed over 28,000 requests to delete banned content since 2017.
Russian Twitter users took to the social web to mock the resolution, with some calling it “censorship.”
“If Russian spells reduce down the work of Twitter in the same way as the rise in food prices, then I am calm,” one user wrote.
The websites of Kremlin, the State Duma and of Roscomnadzor are down on Wednesday morning. Authorities say the delay has nothing to do with their recent decision about twitter .
A large number of government websites as well as online services were disrupted in 2018 when justices tried to restrict the use of messaging app, Telegram.
Twitter is the sixth largest social media platform in Russia and extensively used by opposition figures including Alexei Navalny, who was jailed in January on his return to Russia after treatment for a poisoning attack in Siberia.