MOSCOW: Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor on Tuesday gave Twitter a one-month ultimatum to remove “banned” content, threatening to consider blocking the social media platform within the country if it does not comply.

Last week Roskomnadzor started disrupting Twitter’s services in Russia, saying the US platform failed to comply with its requests to delete content related to child pornography, drug use and calls for minors to commit suicide.

“We have taken a month and are watching Twitter’s response to the removal of banned content,” Roskomnadzor deputy head Vadim Subbotin told the state-run TASS news agency.

He added that if Twitter does not comply in that time period, the media regulator “will consider the question of completely blocking the service” on Russian territory.

Subbotin also told the Interfax news agency that Twitter has not taken any “specific steps” to remove the prohibited content. Russian authorities have in recent months increased pressure on Western social media platforms, especially those hosting content supporting jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2021