Russian court fines Twitter for not removing protest posts

• Twitter did not immediately comment on Friday's ruling in Russia.

Context: Twitter and other U.S. social media companies are spaces for freedom of expression in Russia and have long provided a forum for political dissent inside the country.

• Russia's telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, slowed load times to Twitter in March because it claimed the company did not remove tweets that contained illegal drug use or child pornography or "content [that] incites minors to commit suicide."
• Twitter said in response that it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual exploitation and illegal activities, like selling or buying drugs.

The big picture: Twitter and other social media platforms have been used to organize large protests in multiple cities across Russia over the detention of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

• The Russian government in recent years has limited its internet connection to the rest of the world in order to wrest more control over the country's domestic internet.