Russia said Wednesday it would punish top social media platforms for failing to delete posts calling for minors to join unsanctioned protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Ahead of the rallies that took place across the country on Saturday, social media platforms including TikTok, which is popular among teenagers, were flooded with thousands of posts calling for Russians to demonstrate. In response, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor warned the platforms they would face fines for failing to delete such posts and said that several had removed a significant number. READ ALSO: Former Ghanaian President Rawlings buriedProtests in Russia are banned if they are not approved by the authorities, as are calls for people under 18 to join demonstrations. Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained about the growing influence of large technology companies, which he said are “competing” with states.

Source: Punch January 27, 2021 15:33 UTC