TikTok has suspended new video uploads and livestreams on its Russian app, citing the country’s recently approved “fake news” law as the reason.

“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 wrote in a tweet. “Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.”

Last Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the false news law. It punishes those who propagate “false information” about Russia’s military or publicly call for sanctions against Russia with fines or up to 15 years in prison. 

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As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, it has began to crack down on social media platforms and foreign media – Russia has blocked access to Facebook, limited access to Twitter, and blocked access to BBC news sites.

Russia’s Roskomnadzor communications agency last Monday rebuked TikTok for removing state-sponsored content from its platform. TikTok later announced plans to add labels to “certain” state-controlled media and has apparently made it more difficult for users to access Russian official media, following in the footsteps of Facebook, YouTube, and others.

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“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 said.

Contrarily, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet is currently one of the only communications services available in war-torn Ukraine and he ruled out the notion of censoring Russian news sources operating on Starlink on the grounds of free speech. Musk stated in a tweet that Starlink will not restrict Russian news sources “unless at gunpoint.”

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, apologised in a tweet for being a “free speech absolutist,” claiming that despite various governments’ requests (but not Ukraine’s), Starlink will not ban Russian news outlets. This follows Musk’s warning that Ukrainian Starlink users are at risk of being targeted because Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system operating in Ukrainian territory.