Opinion: Tech censorship is the real gift to Putin


Trump’s suspended Twitter account appears on an iPhone screen. One could argue that even if US-based tech platforms have rushed to align themselves with the political winners in their country to avoid a costly confrontation, they won’t do the same for Putin or Erdogan. It’s more complicated than that. — AFP

Alexey Navalny, the opposition leader whom the Russian secret police nearly killed with military-grade poison last year, is worried about Twitter’s decision to shut down Donald Trump’s account.

Navalny is no Trump fan; he is far to the left of the outgoing US president. The reason he is worried is that the way US tech has ganged up on Trump and his most radical supporters can lead to his own deplatforming in Russia, where he has no access to state-controlled media and relies on mostly US-based social networks – YouTube, Facebook, Twitter – to spread his message. That’s a valid concern.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Anthropic receives additional $4 billion investment from Amazon
Factbox-Who are bankrupt Northvolt's creditors?
UK should use new powers to probe Apple-Google mobile browser duopoly, report says
EU regulators scrap probe into Apple's e-book rules after complaint was withdrawn
Hyundai recalls over 145,000 electrified US vehicles on loss of drive power
'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
Northvolt CEO steps down, saying group needs up to $1.2 billion
Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on $100,000
Ukraine urges gamers not to enter Chernobyl exclusion zone
Kioxia's market value set at $4.9 billion in IPO

Others Also Read