U.S. streaming service Twitch facing fine of up to 4 mln rubles for not deleting video from Bucha - court

MOSCOW. July 28 (Interfax) - The U.S. video streaming service Twitch is facing an administrative fine in an amount of up to four million rubles for not deleting prohibited information containing a video from Ukraine's Bucha, an Interfax correspondent has reported from the Moscow magistrate court where the protocol against the company is being reviewed.

"[Russia's telecoms watchdog] Roskomnadzor's claims were made over a stream on Twitch by a Ukrainian woman called Veronika Pershina, who was broadcasting from Bucha," the judge said.

The court hearing has been postponed until August 16 for the company's representatives to prepare a position on the administrative case.

Roskomnadzor issued an administrative protocol against Twitch for "failure to delete prohibited information - fakes on the special military operation conducted by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine," Roskomnadzor said.

Roskomnadzor said on July 14 the agency had taken measures by making search systems inform users that this platform violates Russian legislation and that an administrative protocol has been issued for fakes on the actions by the Russian Armed Forces.

"Due to the non-fulfilment by the U.S. IT company Twitch Interactive, Inc. of its obligation to delete illegal information, Roskomnadzor made a decision to use an enforcement measure in the form of making search systems inform Internet users that the foreign entity violates Russian legislation," the agency said in a report.

The measures taken on the company Twitch will stay in place until the foreign entity fully fixes its violations of Russian legislation, the report said.

Twitch is a U.S. video streaming service specializing in computer games.