TikTok limits services as Netflix pulls out of Russia

Video-sharing site TikTok and streaming giant Netflix have respectively limited and cut their services in Russia following their invasion of Ukraine.

TikTok said it had suspended live streaming and new content from its platform while it considers tough new laws to crack down on “fake news” about Russia’s armed forces.

Netflix said it would pull out in protest of the invasion.

Visa, Mastercard and PwC have also joined the list of Western firms cutting ties.

TikTok, which has around 36 million users in Russia, said its move was aimed at ensuring the safety of its staff and users.

Starting Friday, anyone who writes news deemed false about the military could face up to 15 years in jail.

Among other things, the Kremlin opposes calling the conflict a war, calling it a “special military operation” instead.

The BBC and other media outlets have already stopped reporting in Russia, saying they can no longer be independent.

In a series of tweets, TikTok said: “In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend live streaming and new content from our video service while we review security implications.” of this law.

“Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.”

He added: “We will continue to assess evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we could fully resume our services with security as our top priority.”

Chinese-owned TikTok, which has a billion users worldwide, has been criticized for not speaking out against Russia invading Ukraine, unlike its peers Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter.

But in a longer statement on his website on Sunday, he described the war in Ukraine as “devastating” and added that it “brought pain to our community and to our people.”

TikTok says it “doesn’t break out the number of users by country,” but we know that Russia is one of the company’s main territories.

Around 36 million people are believed to use the app and TikTok’s new rules reduce them to viewers of other people’s content.

TikTok says it is taking steps to protect its users from breaking Russia’s new “fake news” laws.

But it will certainly help the company as well.

Moderating social media in times of crisis is hard enough, but having to screen content under draconian new laws in Russia puts all platforms in a difficult position.

I wouldn’t be surprised if other apps take similar steps to protect themselves.

Russia has many high-profile creators making a living off TikTok, so we can expect even more people to be motivated to protest “fake news” laws.

The Kremlin may also lose in the information war with less pro-Russian content in people’s timelines.

Last week, Netflix temporarily halted all future projects and acquisitions in Russia while it assessed the impact of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

But on Sunday, a spokesman said: “Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia.”

The firm launched in Russia in 2016 and only has 1 million subscribers there, a fraction of the 220 million it has worldwide.

But according to Variety magazine, the streaming platform had four Russian originals in the works.

That includes the crime thriller series Zato, which was filming and has since been put on hold.

A host of companies have suspended operations in Russia since it attacked its neighbor, including Apple, Jaguar Land Rover, H&M and Burberry. Many other companies are reviewing their positions, while some seek to divest their holdings in Russian companies.

On Sunday, two of the big four accounting firms, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), said they would no longer have a member firm in Russia because of the invasion.

Visa, Mastercard and American Express also suspended operations in Russia, although the country’s banks downplayed the impact on consumers.