TikTok announces limiting of services in Russia due to 'fake news' law

TikTok app on a cell phone.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

TikTok is suspending new content and livestreaming on its platform in Russia, the company announced Sunday, citing safety concerns for its users and employees in the country.

This comes in the wake of Russia passing a law on Friday that imposes a jail term of up to 15 years for anyone who intentionally spreads "fake news" about the country's military amid the invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, TikTok declared it has "no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia while we review the safety implications of this law." TikTok confirmed this will not affect its in-app messaging service.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.