U.K. Asks Meta and TikTok to Block RT and Sputnik After EU Ban
(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. has asked Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc., Twitter Inc. and ByteDance Ltd's TikTok to ban Russian news channel RT while the U.K. regulator considers whether to sanction the broadcaster.
British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries made the request Thursday, a day after the European Union officially banned broadcasts, app downloads and sharing content on social media from RT as well as Sputnik within the bloc. EU officials said its measures were needed to counter the destabilizing impact of propaganda concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine aired by both services.
The U.K. has lagged behind the EU in censoring Russian state media. Dorries last week wrote to regulator Ofcom to urge them to consider the position of RT, formerly called Russia Today. The watchdog has opened 27 investigations into RT's impartiality in the past four days.
“Given the exceptional and intolerable nature of the current situation, and in parallel to the work Ofcom is doing, I want to urge you to do everything you can to apply the approach you are taking across the EU to block access both to RT and to Sputnik's online output (including the latter's radio and audio services) on your U.K. services,” Dorries wrote to all three companies, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg.
The measures from the EU effectively barred the channel from reaching many televisions in the U.K. because RT was broadcasting over satellites owned by SES SA, which is based in Luxembourg. However, RT content is still available on both TikTok and Meta's Facebook and Instagram in the U.K.
Representatives for Meta, Twitter and TikTok didn't respond to requests for comment.
Dorries praised the EU's actions but was challenged by lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday, who asked her why the U.K.'s government hasn't simply banned RT itself.
Dorries replied that it's not a political decision and reiterated that it was a matter for Ofcom.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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