Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a video conference meeting with university students at the State Residence in Zavidovo on Russian Student Day.
Mikhail Klimentyev | TASS | Getty Images
LONDON – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticized the growing influence of American social media giants, saying their impact on society means they are now able to compete with elected governments.
Putin spoke for the first time since 2009 at the World Economic Forum and discussed a wide range of topics, including the coronavirus pandemic, his recent call with President Joe Biden and economic inequality worldwide.
Putin made no mention of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was arrested as soon as he returned to Russia earlier this month after being treated in Germany for nerve poisoning. Putin denies Navalny’s claims that the Russian president ordered the attempted killing.
“Digital giants are playing an increasingly important role in the wider society,” Putin was quoted as saying by video conferencing.
“We’re talking about economic giants now, aren’t we? In certain areas, they are competing with states and their audience can include millions and millions of users,” he said, referring to recent events in US politics.
“Here the question is, how well does this monopolism relate to the public interest?”
Putin did not specifically name any technology companies.
His remarks about recent political events in the US have apparently referred to social media companies such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter imposing a ban on former President Donald Trump after his supporters stormed the US capital on January 6.
More recently, Alphabet’s Google said it would block its search engine for users in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to introduce a new code that would force it and Facebook to pay media companies for the right to use their content.
The dispute is yet another attempt to regulate Big Tech.
Fraudulent relations between Russia and the US have deteriorated following a massive cyber attack on federal agencies, interference in the US election and the arrest of Navalny.
In April 2019, Special Attorney Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference found that the Russian Internet research agency reached millions of American users on social media before the 2016 presidential election and used the fake accounts to influence voters and even after rallies. drive.
Navalny argument
Putin’s comments at the Davos Agenda summit come as Western government officials consider the possibility of new sanctions against Moscow to arrest Navalny.
In a provocative challenge to Putin, mass demonstrations in more than 100 cities over the weekend saw tens of thousands of people protesting against the arrest of the opposition leader.
Navalny allies called for more protests in the coming days to maintain pressure on the Kremlin.
Participants in an unauthorized protest against the jail sentence of the opposing leader Alexei Navalny, shouted on January 23, 2021 in Moscow, Russia. E
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Foreign ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, condemned the “politically motivated” arrest of Navalny.
The group also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Navalny and “expressed deep concern about the detention of thousands of protesters and journalists”.
In response to requests for Navalny’s urgent release from detention, the Kremlin said earlier that Navalny’s case had received ‘artificial’ resonance in the West.
Pray call
Biden spoke to Putin on Tuesday for the first time since Putin’s inauguration earlier this month. He raised a number of issues with the Russian president, including the poisoning of Navalny.
Biden warned Putin that the United States “will act strictly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” according to a White House statement.
Navalny, widely regarded as Putin’s most prominent and determined critic, was arrested by Russian authorities on January 17 when his flight from Berlin landed at a Moscow airport.
He was subsequently ordered to be detained for 30 days until February 15, and he faces the prospect of years in prison.
It was the first time Navalny had returned to the country since being poisoned last summer.
In his speech, Putin also warned that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing global problems and imbalances, and that it could worsen to a point where there is a struggle of ‘everyone against everyone’.