Russian Court Fines Twitch IDR 849 Million For Spreading False Information

Russia has decided to fine the Twitch streaming platform. (photo: doc. Twitch)

JAKARTA - A court in the Tagansky District of Moscow, Russia has decided to fine the streaming platform Twitch, because it is claimed to have spread false information regarding the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The verdict was filed on January 31, with Twitch having to pay a fine of US $ 57,000 equivalent to IDR 849 million. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, a court in Moscow's Tagansky District found Twitch guilty of failing to remove prohibited content from its platform.

Infringing content reportedly includes false information about civilian casualties, general mobilizations, and the form and methods of Russian military operations.

Meanwhile, Twitch's refusal to remove content featuring lawyer Mark Feigin and former adviser to the President of Ukraine, Oleksii Arestovych. There is also content from the Strategic Communications Advisor to President of Ukraine Zelensky until earlier this month.

Mark Feigin is a Russian lawyer and activist who participated in several high-profile defense cases. However, Russia revoked Feigin's attorney status in 2018 and considered him a foreign agent.

This isn't the first time Twitch has been in legal jeopardy, having been sued by James “PhantomL0rd” Varga and Herschel “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm after they were banned from the platform.

Twitch is not alone, there are social media outlets that flout Russian regulations, as Facebook, ProtonMail and Google have all come under pressure in recent years. That's because of complaints about the hosting of content that is not permitted under current Russian legislation.

Twitch has yet to issue an official statement regarding the court's decision. The Amazon-owned streaming platform is frequently under scrutiny for its handling of content, not only that violates local laws, but also material that does not comply with copyright laws, followed by requests for removal.

Launched in June 2011, Twitch was primarily designed to be and is best known as a platform for live streaming of video games.

However, Twitch also offers a variety of content, including some live streams that choose to cover news and politics in addition to other content, as quoted from GameRant, Thursday, February 2. Includes creator content covering wars such as the one in Ukraine, starting in February 2022.