The new Kremlin threat: he said he “hopes” not to have to ban foreign social media after slowing down Twitter

The Russian government said Tuesday that it “hopes” not to have to ban foreign social networks, to which the Kremlin is in opposition, criticizing them for their criteria of moderation of content, in particular political.

At the beginning of March, the Russian authorities gave a first warning to Twitter and slowed down its operation, accusing it of not having removed “illegal” content from its platform. Moscow has given Twitter a month to act, on pain of total blackout. And this hinted that Facebook or YouTube could be next.

The Russian authorities are particularly critical of the dissemination of content that supports the opposition Alexei Navalny.

“I would like to hope that we will not have to go on this point and that means have been found to resolve the conflict.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the daily on Tuesday. Argoumenty i facty.

“No one wants a complete ban, it would be foolish to defend that. But we must force companies to respect our rulesHe warned.

Peskov said “no self-respecting state would let a company impose conditions on it.”

Moscow accuses Twitter of not having removed content inciting minors to commit suicide, child pornography or information on drug use.

The American platform denies the Russian accusations and says it is “very concerned” by “attempts to block and stifle public dialogue online”.

The dispute illustrates the growing tensions between Moscow and the main foreign social networks in recent months, criticized for their omnipotence and their moderation of content, especially political.

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