TikTok suspends all news videos from Russia

TikTok is suspending both live-streaming and new videos from Russia.

The move comes as President Vladimir Putin signed a new law banning “fake” news about its military, and any language describing Russia’s attack on Ukraine as an “invasion.”

According to the Washington Post, those who violate the new law may face a 15-year prison sentence. TikTok made the announcement on Twitter, saying, “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.”

“In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend live-streaming 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.”

TikTok representatives stated on Thursday that the company is developing policies on how to handle state-controlled media on its platform.

As of now, they have added labels on some content from state-controlled media accounts. These labels on videos from Russian-controlled accounts specifically say “Russia state-controlled media” with a link for more information.

The Russian government has been blocking social media sites. This has put pressure on companies to restrict information about the war and continue publishing these videos on their platforms.