MOSCOW – Russian authorities said Wednesday they are slowing down the speed of uploading photos and videos to Twitter over its failure to remove banned content — part of growing efforts to clamp down on social media platforms that have played a major role in amplifying dissent.
The state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said it began the slowdown after it said the platform failed to remove the content encouraging suicide among children and containing information about drugs and child pornography.
The agency warned that if Twitter refuses to abide by Russian law it could be blocked entirely, but voiced hope that the platform would “take a constructive stance” and comply with the demand to remove the banned content.