Russia fines Reddit, Apple, and Wikipedia for not removing "fake" content related to Ukraine...

[midian182]

What just happened? Reddit has joined Apple and Wikipedia on the list of Western companies fined by Russia this month for not deleting what the country deems to be "banned" and "fake" content relating to its invasion of Ukraine.

The Interfax news agency reported in July that Reddit was facing its first-ever fine from Russia after it failed to remove content that Moscow said discredits the Russian army.

Reddit was faced with a 4 million ruble fine ($43,895) for not deleting the "knowingly false information" about the Soviet Union's actions during World War Two, content that discredits the Russian Federation's armed forces, and other "extremist information," writes Reuters.

That fine arrived today, though at 2 million roubles ($20,365), it was half the maximum amount.

Reddit isn't the only tech company fined by Russia this month. Apple and Wikipedia were also charged for not deleting so-called fake news. In Cupertino's case, it related to material on Apple Podcasts that Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor said was aimed at destabilizing the political situation in the country. Apple was fined 400,000 roubles, about $4,077, for failing to act.

While the fines against Reddit and Apple were the companies' first to come from Russia, Wikipedia owner the Wikimedia Foundation's 3-million-rouble fine (~$30,581) was the latest of many. The organization was fined for the seventh time in April for not removing "banned" content relating to the Russian military, writes Politico. The foundation said it has two active appeals with a Moscow court for fines related to content on the war in Ukraine.

Days after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced a law that prohibited the spreading of "fake" news about what it has long claimed is a "special military operation" designed to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine while protecting its Russian speakers. Those convicted of breaking this law face up to 15 years in prison. It can also fine platforms that fail to remove the content.

Last week saw Dmitry Glukhovsky, the Russian science fiction writer who penned the Metro series and collaborated with 4A Games on the video game versions, sentenced to eight years in prison after a Moscow court found him guilty of deliberately spreading false information about Russia's military. Glukhovsky was sentenced in absentia as he no longer lives in Russia.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/99793-russia-fines-reddit-apple-wikipedia-not-removing-fake.html

 

[bviktor]

Vatniks still believing they can cancel the truth. A collective psychosis, that country.

Feel free to respond with your usual post-truth "but but Biden" whataboutism.

 

[SirDigby]

Do they actually have to pay them though? Like, what's Russia gonna do?

 

[Nobina]

Why even bother fining them with that chump change?

 

[TomSEA]

Russia (Putin) can "fine" until they're blue in the face. Paying is an entirely different story.

 

[Vulcanproject]

This is what you get when people stay in power for decades. Utter delusion and construction of their own alternate historical reality. Russia must lose their last imperial war to create the opportunity of another crossroads. One like the 1990s, except this time it must travel down the path not taken. I fear that even if such an opportunity arises no matter who sits down in the top seat will at best be a technocrat only paying lip service to liberalism. And at worst? Much worse.

 

[axiomatic13]

The ruble is worth almost nothing. (1 Russian Ruble equals
0.010 United States Dollar) I probably have enough loose change in my couch to pay the fine.

 

[someOtherGuy]

Vatniks still believing they can cancel the truth. A collective psychosis, that country.

Feel free to respond with your usual post-truth "but but Biden" whataboutism.

Real question: is the problem the canceling or that they're canceling "the truth"? Because it has been less than 2 years since it became ok to cancel whatever the overlords said was "fake" or a "conspiracy theory", and with that standard the only thing that change in this case is the identity/priorities of the overlords.

 

[Endymio]

Vatniks still believing they can cancel the truth. A collective psychosis, that country.

Well it worked here. Instead of fining social media firms for not removing "fake" content, our FBI paid Twitter and Facebook to remove content politically unfavorable to the administration. This unconstitutional and illegal act is why a federal judge blocked the Biden Administration from contact with social-media firms.

"US judge restricts Biden officials from contact with social media firms"

Injunction blocks Biden administration from working with social media firms about 'protected speech'

A judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about “protected speech,” a decision called “a blow to censorship” by one of the Republican officials whose lawsui...

abcnews.go.com

 

[Uncle Al]

Simply tell the old boy that his check is ready and waiting for him to pick up at their US office .....

 

[quadibloc]

I would assume that not only have the fines not been paid, but it would be illegal under U.S. law, due to the sanctions against Russia, for the plaintiffs to attempt to pay them.

 

[quadibloc]

Well it worked here. Instead of fining social media firms for not removing "fake" content, our FBI paid Twitter and Facebook to remove content politically unfavorable to the administration.

Huh, what?
Social media platforms in the United States, behaving in a responsible manner, removed dangerous and inflammatory lies from their servers, such as false claims about COVID-19 and claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
This action is protected by the First Amendment, since the law holds the owners and operators of the servers as the "speaker" for purposes of liability for illegal content, among other things.
Whether the content removed would otherwise have been protected by the First Amendment or not is, in at least some cases, unclear, but it's certainly true there have been no mass prosecutions of COVID-19 deniers and election deniers.

 

[Endymio]

Huh, what?
Social media platforms in the United States, behaving in a responsible manner, removed dangerous and inflammatory lies from their servers...

Cool story. Too bad it's fiction. The FBI directed Facebook and Twitter to remove thousands of true, but politically damaging stories -- ranging from Hunter's Biden laptop to the potential lab-leak origins of Covid -- and paid these firms for doing so. Note that the US government now admits that the laptop contents are not "Russian disinformation" and that the lab leak origin is "probably correct.".

A wide range of other topics were also censored; all for political reasons, and not their accuracy. The FBI in many cases directed social-media firms to specific posts and specific accounts to be shut down. This has already been adjudged to be illegal and unconstitutional; which is why the Biden Administration is currently banned from further contact.

This action is protected by the First Amendment, since the law holds the owners and operators of the servers as the "speaker" for purposes of liability for illegal content,

Incorrect on multiple counts. Firstly, the content in question was not "illegal". Secondly, even had it been, Social Media firms have immunity from such posts, under the Federal CDA, Sec. 230.

 

[Robbie K]

How about Russia go back to its own territory. Then after they pay for reporarions these fines could be entertained maybe just a little....

 

[Vanderlinde]

Do they actually have to pay them though? Like, what's Russia gonna do?

If any of those have a headquarters in Russia, yes they can be forced.

However websites is a thing apart. I believe in certain disinformation - and honestly it should simply be removed if there's bogus claims made about one or another.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Vatniks still believing they can cancel the truth. A collective psychosis, that country.

Feel free to respond with your usual post-truth "but but Biden" whataboutism.

Here's an example of a Western country's mandated "post-truth" messaging: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/meta-instagram-canada-online-news-act-explainer-news-1.6914154

The CBC wants to mandate news continued to be posted on social media so that they can get paid. This is also a fine (or tax as it's labeled), just indiscriminately compared to the situation in Russia. Are Google and Meta and Meta canceling the truth in this case? The CBC asserts they have "accuracy, balance, fairness and impartiality" even concerning articles about themselves, so the answer would seem to be yes.

Notice how true the "public" Canadian Broadcasting Corporation stays to its commitment in that article. Category? "Science". Heavily references opinions? Yes. Quotes? Against law = 6, for law = 10. Quotes with emotional language? Against law = 0, for law = 5 (disappointing, kick in the shins to Canadians, unfriend Canada, tone deaf, dominant platforms).

Let's be honest, most general news media is biased. I'm not sure how you can claim that Russia is fining tech companies for "true" news and keeping "untrue" news free to share. Both media sources are highly likely to have cherry-picked facts, opinion, and more. The whole reason Russia is fining these companies is they are politicizing the war just like others are. I don't think any or all news should be blocked or mandated, but this is not a problem with just Russia. You can bet that there's little overlap between the available news about the war between Ukraine and Russia.

 

[toooooot]

"for not deleting the "knowingly false information" about the Soviet Union's actions during World War Two,"
Apparently a story of two most terrible people who lived back then who decided to divide the world
is upsetting for Russia. Mass murdering mass raping, nothing to remove from history of USSR during ww2.
And if it was not other countries who were not friends of USSR, it would have gladly swallowed entire Europe or Asia for that matter.
WW2 is a history of shame and degeneracy of Russia.

 

[Gezzer]

Man, when will this crazy train ride end? Someone assassinate the ahole before his deslusions start to make nuclear war look like a feasible exit strategy.

 

[captaincranky]

Real question: is the problem the canceling or that they're canceling "the truth"? Because it has been less than 2 years since it became ok to cancel whatever the overlords said was "fake" or a "conspiracy theory",

It's actually been well over six years since , "fake news" as a mainstream meme came into being.
IE: Climate change, "fake news"..
Covid19, "fake news".
Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election, "fake news"
As opposed to, "can we inject bleach to cure covid"...., you guessed it, "fake news".

Now if I only had a Sharpie and a nuclear missile, I could have steered that hurricane away from Maui......."(fill in the blank)".

 

[Endymio]

It's actually been well over six years since , "fake news" as a mainstream meme came into being.
IE: Climate change, "fake news"..
Covid19, "fake news".
Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election, "fake news"
As opposed to, "can we inject bleach to cure covid"...., you guessed it, "fake news".

Now if I only had a Sharpie and a nuclear missile, I could have steered that hurricane away from Maui......."(fill in the blank)".

Thanks for these outstanding examples of why fake news entered the mainstream: Trump never suggested people "inject bleach", Hillary Clinton was screaming about stolen elections and illegitimate Presidents years before Trump, NOAA predicted Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama before any sharpie touched a map, and the fake reporting on Covid began with the claim that the lab-leak origin was "disproven and discredited".

 

[Darth Shiv]

Do they actually have to pay them though? Like, what's Russia gonna do?

Yeah I'd be
*Mark as spam

 

[Darth Shiv]

Man, when will this crazy train ride end? Someone assassinate the ahole before his deslusions start to make nuclear war look like a feasible exit strategy.

You do know Russia has even crazier people than Putin in there? And they have an enormous nuclear cache. You probably should be extremely careful what you try to do. A) if you fail then what happens? B) if you succeed you have no idea what happens either.

 

[m3tavision]

Putin is taking a page from Joe Biden's book...

 

[m3tavision]

It's actually been well over six years since , "fake news" as a mainstream meme came into being.
IE: Climate change, "fake news"..
Covid19, "fake news".
Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election, "fake news"
As opposed to, "can we inject bleach to cure covid"...., you guessed it, "fake news".

Now if I only had a Sharpie and a nuclear missile, I could have steered that hurricane away from Maui......."(fill in the blank)".

Stop.
This Thread is about removing FAKE Content, not gaslighting and pushing a false narrative. Your whole post is based on urban legends and in itself a meme. (Falsehoods that when told enough times, you start to believe them). Do you really believe those fake news stories?

Chew on this not-so fake news....
Climate change is cyclical, humans can not cool down the planet. COVID-19 death rate was less than the bird flu & nearly non-existent in people under the age of 45. "Injecting bleach into them" is another Urban legend, told by others who are trying to virtue-signal. (Disinfectant)

All of That (non-fake news)^... and ANY discussion about other science like Ivermectin/myocarditis/etc was not only CENSORED from Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, social media, etc... but if you posted links or articles to back non-fake news stories up, you were out-right BANNED if you posted such things. Even here.


CENSORSHIP IS BAD. (Weak ideas need to hide in the shadows & behind censorship to stay alive). That is why Leaders like Putin & Biden try to shut down Social media narratives, because the TRUTH might get out.

Hope this science doesn't get in the way of your sharpie narrative:

 

[captaincranky]

-

This Thread is about removing FAKE Content, not gaslighting and pushing a false narrative.

Well, the only conclusion one can draw from this is that everything you say is correct, and anything anyone else says is, "fake news".

Never mind that I saw the "bleach machination" an d the "Sharpie maneuver" newscast live, on network TV. It must have been a "deep fake", right?

COVID-19 death rate was less than the bird flu & nearly non-existent in people under the age of 45. "

Anti-Vax Radio Hosts Keep Dying From COVID

Will the passing of on-air opponents of pandemic mitigation efforts have any effect on their audiences?

www.vanityfair.com

A trio of conservative radio hosts died of Covid. Will their deaths change vaccine resistance?

"There's no question ... when you read he [Phil Valentine] has it and then three weeks later he's dead, it will get your attention," a conservative host said.

www.nbcnews.com

Another Anti-Vaccine Radio Host Is Killed By Covid—Adding To A Growing List

At least five unvaccinated right-wing radio hosts have died from Covid-19 over the past six weeks.

www.forbes.com

I'm sure these charlatans know far less about what's going on than you do.

Signed, you favorite teen aged girl.