TikTok bans video upload in Russia to protect perpetrators against “fake news” law

Signed by Vladimir Putin, the so-called “fake news” law provides for sentences of up to 15 years in prison for anyone who distributes false content about the achievements of the Russian army in public, even on TikTok.

By de facto banning freedom of expression, Russia assures that the “truth” can only be communicated in the interpretation accepted by the Kremlin power, the distribution of any material contrary to the official narrative, even on TikTok, a crime that can be punished with hefty fines and even the prison.

2 / In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.

– TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) March 6, 2022

“In the context of the new law on ‘fake news’ applicable in Russia, we have no choice but to suspend the Live Stream option and post new content on our video sharing platform, while reviewing the implications of this law on user safety.” states TikTok representatives in a post shared on Twitter.

However, users can still use the TikTok messaging service to communicate via instant messaging if they have sufficient confidence in the security of the platform run by ByteDance, a Chinese-based company that has already shown support for Russia.

We will continue to assess the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we can fully resume our services, with safety as a priority, ”notes TikTok.