Twitter has lifted restrictions on Russian government accounts, according to the newspaper The Telegraph. According to tests carried out, users can now be recommended to follow the presidential account of Vladimir Putin, the war crimes suspect wanted in 123 countries, or the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier last year, Twitter announced that government accounts from states that restrict access to free information and are involved in conflict would not be recommended or appear in search results and on users’ timelines. This also applied to Russian government accounts after the country invaded Ukraine. A former Twitter executive confirms that the new change was deliberate and planned by the company.
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, many of the platform’s moderation techniques have had to be ironed out. Last week, it was reported that Twitter had eased restrictions on Russian and Chinese state media accounts such as RT.com and the Global Times.
Musk’s company Starlink has been a key part of Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, but the Tesla billionaire has recently shown more sympathy for Russia, which has rightly been criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
