The social media space saw notable changes when TikTok was launched back in the day.
The platform now is probably the most popular social media platform, and its domain was the most visited in 2021, overtaking even google.com. That is no small feat, and for a company that started its operations long after others had already established in the market, the development can be seen as revolutionary, adding to the fact that leading social media platforms have already cloned Tiktok on their platforms.
That aside, the Russia-Ukraine crisis is known to the majority of us. Russia, which has since invaded its neighbour, has been on the receiving end for its actions.
A ton of internet companies have ceased offering their services in Russia, and those that haven’t are cutting what they can offer to their customers in the country. These developments have been made to compel Russia to withdraw its attack on Ukraine, but that has not changed because Russia is still pressing on in a political-fueled squabble that is sometimes too complicated for the majority of people to understand.
Tiktok now has announced that its Russian users will not be able to post new content on the platform.
“In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law,” TikTok said on Twitter.
“Our in-app messaging service will not be affected,” the statement added, noting that the platform is intended to be “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.”
It should be noted that Russia’s president Mr. Putin has since blocked Facebook and Twitter in the country for their hand in ‘spreading fake news.’
The new social media policy states that reporters must verify their posts on the Ukraine invasion with Russian government departments. Journalists are also not allowed to use words like ‘attack’, ‘war’, and ‘invasion.’
Other than Facebook and Twitter, and now Tiktok that have made changes regarding their operations in Russia, YouTube did the same with Russian creators because they can no longer get ad revenues from the platform.
