MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. The Twitter social network has been rapidly transforming from an independent platform into a tool of dictatorship run by Western states, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.
"We have to once again note that Twitter is rapidly degenerating from an independent discussion platform into a tool of global digital dictatorship in the hands of the Western establishment," she said, commenting on Twitter’s blocking of 100 accounts, allegedly tied to Russia.
She noted that this is not the first wave of bans targeting accounts of allegedly Russian origin. "It is worth noting that Twitter accounts of Western states are not targeted by such punitive operations, despite the fact that the information published there is sometimes deliberately false," the diplomat pointed out.
"Once again assumptions and unsubstantiated innuendos were presented as justifications. The narrative of the Twitter report itself is absurd in principle. The accounts purportedly conveyed points associated with the Russian government, undermined NATO’s credibility, and influenced the US and the EU", she noted.
According to the spokeswoman, "the practice of arbitrary illegal blocking by completely opaque criteria is simply unacceptable".
“It undermines the credibility of social media as a space for freedom of expression and an exchange of opinions," Zakharova added.
On Tuesday, Twitter announced blocking of 100 accounts, allegedly tied to Russia. According to the published information, the accounts represent two distinct groups. The first one was comprised of 69 accounts allegedly tied to the Russian government, which it used to "weaken the stability and reliability of NATO." The second group included 31 accounts, connected to Russia’s Internet Research Agency, who allegedly acted "against the US and the EU."