Twitter to comply with EU sanctions on Russian state media

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A 3D-printed Twitter logo displayed in front of Russian flag is seen in this illustration picture
A 3D-printed Twitter logo displayed in front of Russian flag is seen in this illustration picture, October 27, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

March 1 (Reuters) - Twitter (TWTR.N) will comply with the European Union's sanctions on Russian state-affiliated media RT and Sputnik when the EU order takes effect, the social network said on Tuesday.

"The European Union (EU) sanctions will likely legally require us to withhold certain content in EU member states," a Twitter spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

"We intend to comply with the order when it goes into effect."

EU industry chief Thierry Breton has said the European Commission expected approval by late on Tuesday from member nations for the ban on the Kremlin-backed outlets. read more

Outside the EU, Twitter said it would continue to focus on reducing the visibility of content from these outlets as well as labelling it. read more

Facebook owner Meta (FB.O), Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), YouTube and TikTok have said they are blocking access to RT and Sputnik in the EU. On Tuesday, Meta said it was globally demoting posts from Russian state media. read more

Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Thomson Reuters

Technology correspondent in New York, reporting on social media companies and their impact. Previously based in San Francisco and London, she worked on digital, graphics and investigative teams and covered the U.S. 2020 presidential election. She was part of a Reuters reporting team that won Gerald Loeb, Scripps Howard and SABEW Best in Business awards.

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