Russia fines TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, and others for spreading 'LGBTQ+ propaganda'

Russia on Thursday fined TikTok, Telegram, and YouTube for violating its ban on "LGBTQ+ propaganda," theInterfax news agency reported.<br><br>TikTok was fined about $44,000, Telegram $54,000, and YouTube, which is owned by Google, $163,000.<br><br>Russia introduced the ban in 2013, in a law that prohibits "propaganda or promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors," which effectively criminalized gay activism and public expression of homosexuality by minors.<br><br>The country has continued to expand the law, broadening it to outlaw any public mention of "non-traditional sexual relations" or "gender reassignment."<br><br>Thursday's fine was levied on the basis of that law, after a court in Moscow found that the platforms had featured content that was in violation of it.<br><br>Russian law requires social media companies to set up an official presence in the country and to comply with its laws, including the removal of content that violates its laws.<br><br>The country has a history of clamping down on such services that fail to comply.<br><br>YouTube, for example, has previously been fined tens of thousands of dollars in Russia for failing to remove content.<br><br>The full text of the original report is available on the CBS News website.