Netflix and Tiktok have suspended their services in Russia amid the Kremlin’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
In a series of Twitter posts on Sunday, Tiktok said it has no choice but to suspend some of its services in the country while it “review the safety implications”.
Russia had put up a new law that makes it illegal to report any event that could discredit the country’s military.
The new “fake news” legislation imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s narrative on the war.
In this vein, the Chinese-owned TikTok said it will continue to evaluate the circumstances obtainable in Russia but till then the safety of its employees and users remains a priority.
“TikTok is an outlet for creativity and entertainment that can provide a source of relief and human connection during a time of war when people are facing immense tragedy and isolation. However, the safety of our employees and our users remain our highest priority,” the company wrote on Twitter.
“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.
“We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.”
3/ We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority. More about our ongoing efforts here: https://t.co/Whwn5KwXmj
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) March 6, 2022
On its part, Netflix said it has suspended its service and all future projects and acquisitions in Russia.
The streaming platform, however, did not specify a reason for suspending its services on Sunday.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for Netflix said.
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