In an effort to control independent reporting, Roskomnadzor, a government communication regulator, last month banned access to the OVD-info website and ordered that social media networks should delete the account completely.
OVD-Info is an independent human rights media organization in Russia dedicated to preventing political persecution.
Authorities are now targeting OVD-Info social media accounts for deletion in order to prevent them from continuing to publish prohibited information on their websites.
Roskomnadzor imposed unprecedented fines on Google(Youtube) and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) for displaying banned content despite the demand by the authorities for its removal.
Google is required to pay 7.2 billion roubles (86.5 million euros) and Facebook nearly two billion roubles (about 24 million euros).
Yandex the russian search engine had already removed all content of OVD-info as requested by the authority.
Reporters Without Borders asks social media platforms to defy the Russian media regulator’s demand that the OVD-info accounts be deleted. This context emphasizes the critical role of foreign platforms in preserving journalistic freedom in Russia, RFS claimed in a new addendum to their coverage of internet filtering in Russia.
As of yet, none of the social media networks named above have responded to Roskomnadzor’s request.
