However, TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, isn’t greatly affected by these sanctions as China has so far remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Nevertheless, the insanely popular social media platform has suspended uploads and livestreaming in Russia.

So why did the company make the decision?

Russia’s ‘Fake News’ Ban

As with any war, both sides want to control information from the front lines. Because of this, the Russian parliament amended its criminal code last March 4, 2022, to include imprisonment for spreading “fake news”.

“If the fakes lead to serious consequences, then imprisonment of up to 15 years threatens,” the Russian State Duma said in a statement according to Reuters.

Additionally, the parliamentary Chairman said, “Literally by tomorrow, this law will force punishment—and very tough punishment—on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces.”

True enough, the upper parliament approved the measure, and Putin signed it into law the following day.

TikTok’s Response to Russia’s Fake News Law

As social media spaces are increasingly becoming an information battleground between opposing sides, Russian TikTok creators who oppose Putin’s administration may soon become targets of the new law. For this reason, the company decided to suspend all livestreaming and uploading inside Russia.

TikTok noted in a statement:

Because of this, users in Russia won’t be able to create new posts. However, they could still access the app to watch videos and send messages to each other.

The Impact of TikTok’s Policy

This TikTok upload ban follows closely after Facebook and Twitter became inaccessible in Russia. This happened after both companies restricted Russian state-owned media as sanctions by the US and EU went into effect.

Even YouTube received demands to restore access to state-owned accounts, although they haven’t been blocked by the Russian authorities yet.

With these bans and blocks, Russia is slowly moving towards digital isolation. It seems natural for Russia to act against American companies like Meta and Twitter. However, it’s a surprise that TikTok, a Chinese company, is also caught in the crossfire.

TikTok’s decision to stop uploads from inside Russia is arguably made for the safety of its users. However, it also means that Russian creators and influencers can’t create new videos, thus cutting off their revenue. This could result in millions of losses for individuals.

It also affects the ability for Russian residents to share their own views and experiences—and not only related to the war.

While the decision could protect some citizens, it could also isolate many from the global community.

Sanction Effects

As many governments increasingly sanction Russia, its residents are the first ones to suffer from its effects. Facebook and Twitter are no longer accessible, while TikTok has limited functionality. Netflix pulled out of Russia. Russian Twitch streamers are cut off from payments. And Google has already received demands from the Russian government.

As the sanctions expand, this could mean more international social media platforms could become unavailable in Russia—whether through foreign governments’ or Russian authorities’ actions. If the conflict in Eastern Europe doesn’t resolve peacefully soon, then this trend may continue.