Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned against the increasing influence large tech companies wield. He said that these tech giants were "competing" with states. Russia is ramping up pressure on foreign internet companies. The companies usually are not subject to state censorship that majority of Russian media outlets work under.
Putin sounded the warning during his virtual address at Davos virtual economic summit. He said it was unclear where the line should be drawn between a "succesful global business" and "attempts to crudely, at their own discretion, control society".
"We just saw it all in the United States," he added, referring to riots earlier this month in Washington led by supporters of then US President Donald Trump.
Moscow earlier this week accused US tech giants of interfering in Russia's internal affairs, in particular during anti-government protests led by supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Saturday.
Ahead of the rallies, Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor ordered several online platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, to delete posts by users calling for protesters to attend demonstrations.
On Wednesday, the chairman of the lower house State Duma's foreign interference committee, Vasily Piskaryov, said that the head of TikTok's Russian branch had been invited to parliament for a conversation.
Piskaryov was cited by the TASS news agency as saying that "questions had piled up" about the China-based video-sharing service.
In recent months, TikTok has emerged as a popular platform for young Russians to express their political views.
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Hashtags dedicated to Navalny have been trending on TikTok, garnering more than 1.5 billion views, after the anti-corruption campaigner was jailed on his return to Russia from Germany.
(With AFP inputs)
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Putin warns against influence of tech giants, says they `compete` with states - WION
