Putin: Freedom of speech online must be defended against social media companies intent on making 'profit at any cost'

Russia's president has warned that social media giants are making decisions about what to publish and what to censor in their own interests alone, and without any regard for the broader consequences of their actions.

Addressing the winners of the Russia-wide Teacher of the Year competition on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin said:

"These platforms are, of course, primarily businesses ... and what is the primary concern of a business? Making a profit. They don't care if this content or that content causes harm for the people at whom it is directed. After all, these modern IT companies are more and more beginning to control people's consciousnesses."

Putin added that there was sometimes a case for restricting access to certain types of post, saying that

"we must think about it, and react to it. But we must not make decisions that would limit human freedoms - the freedom of choice and freedom of speech."

His comments come weeks after his former counterpart, ex-US president Donald Trump, faced suspensions or bans for his accounts on social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The moves by the American tech giants to restrict Trump's posts came in the wake of the storming of the Capitol building in Washington, amid fears of incitement to further violence.

At the time, Russian officials expressed concern over the precedent being set by the judgment of Silicon Valley chiefs. Russia's Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the events amounted to "a nuclear blast in cyberspace." "It has been a blow to the democratic values professed by the West," she added.

The Russian founder of the VKontakte social network and the Telegram messaging service, Pavel Durov, also warned that the situation had potential consequences for free expression.

"The Apple-Google duopoly," he said, poses a threat to free expression, as it can "completely restrict which apps you use." His comments appeared to be a reference to the banning of the Parler app from Apple's iOS store, after supporters of Trump migrated to the service.

Reader Comments

Rowan Cocoan · 2021-02-03T20:57:21Z

The problem isn't that companies should seek to raise profits - they should! Rather, as Marcus Aurelius says what is the essence of the problem? (I'm not quoting -indeed, I'm stealing from my poor overtaxed brain's store of 'Bartlett's Familiars' - as Hannibal Lecter says.) The essence of the problem is obviously the allowed and continuing existence of trusts/monopolies, which has since day one been the bane of free societies, for the trusts (which are multigenerational) (i.e., effectively, such trusts are "immortal immorals' or 'immorality immortalized', etc. Such has long been against the law, such as the 'Sherman Antitrust Act' and even the whole Section 230 issue did not change that. Until that 8,000 pound gorilla is brought to heel, we're just going to witness different silly spectacles ending in yet another disaster after disaster.

R.C.

Joyly · 2021-02-03T21:17:12Z

Rowan Cocoan We can change this by the simple action to STOP using these companies . That will affect their profits.

Oldfart · 2021-02-04T00:13:33Z

Joyly Easier said than done. We are mere minnows swimming in an ocean of Faecesbook and Gurgle users. It doesn't seem to matter how much I try every time I use the internet Gurgle seems to squeeze its head in somehow.

Joyly · 2021-02-04T09:59:32Z

Oldfart Heard a new suggestion: download browser from torproject.com. It protects your privacy and gives you access to dot onion websites. Which will be the new standard for anyone not wanting to get shutdown - have their domain name seized. I have not tried it yet.

Rowan Cocoan · 2021-02-04T16:32:18Z

Joyly That sounds like something that AA [Link] would say - hence, it's likely correct. Thanks!

RC

Tiu · 2021-02-04T10:14:37Z

You know the world is batsh*t crazy when a former KGB operative is defending freedom of speech and Russian officials are standing up for "democratic values in the west"! and sadly for good reason.

Joyly · 2021-02-04T10:42:48Z

Tiu Yep. Everything is the opposite of what they want us to believe.