Russia fines Twitter, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok over banned content

FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Twitter logo is pictured in front of a displayed Russian flag in this illustration taken March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia fined Twitter, Facebook owner Meta Platforms and TikTok on Thursday for failing to delete content the government deems illegal, a Moscow court said, the latest in a string of penalties against foreign technology firms.

Moscow has increased pressure on Big Tech this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens to stifle individual and corporate freedom.