Russia threatens to block Twitter in a month

The Russian government has repeatedly aired threats to block Twitter and Facebook, but stopped short of outright bans even though the law allows it, probably fearing the move would elicit too much public outrage. — Reuters

MOSCOW: Russian authorities said Tuesday they would block Twitter in a month if it doesn’t take steps to remove banned content, a move that escalates the Russian government’s drawn-out standoff with social media platforms that have played a major role in amplifying dissent in Russia.

Russia’s state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, last week announced it was slowing down the speed of uploading photos and videos to Twitter over its alleged failure to remove content encouraging suicide among children and information about drugs and child pornography.