Russian authorities fined Twitter for not removing fake accounts during an experiment. Officials say Twitter broke local internet laws. The Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor announced the penalty. Twitter faces a fine of three million rubles. That equals about forty thousand US dollars.
(Twitter Fined For Failing To Remove Fake Experiment)
The problem started with an experiment Twitter ran. Twitter created fake accounts. These accounts pretended to be real Russian users. Twitter used these fake accounts internally. The company tested its own systems with them. Twitter wanted to see how its algorithms recommended content. The company admitted this test happened. The fake accounts existed for over a year. They operated from late 2020 until early 2022.
Russian law requires platforms to remove fake accounts. Platforms must delete false information quickly. Roskomnadzor claims Twitter knew about these fake accounts. The agency says Twitter did not delete them. Twitter failed to follow Russian regulations. This failure led to the fine.
(Twitter Fined For Failing To Remove Fake Experiment)
Roskomnadzor stated this is a repeated offense. Twitter has faced pressure in Russia for years. The platform has had service restrictions since 2018. Russian officials often accuse foreign tech firms of violating laws. This fine adds to those ongoing disputes. Twitter must pay the three million ruble penalty. The company has not commented publicly on this specific fine yet. Russian authorities continue monitoring the platform’s compliance.