Putin says American social media giants are competing with governments

LONDON – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticized the growing influence of US social media giants, saying their impact on society means they are now able to compete with elected governments.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum for the first time since 2009, Putin discussed a wide range of topics, including the coronavirus pandemic, his recent phone call with President Joe Biden, and global economic inequality.

Putin did not mention Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was arrested as soon as he returned to Russia earlier this month after being treated in Germany following a nervous breakdown. Putin denies Navalny’s claims that the Russian president ordered the trial of his life.

“Digital giants have played an increasingly significant role in the wider society,” Putin said in a video conference, according to a translation.

“We’re talking about economic giants now, aren’t we? In some areas, they compete with states, and their audiences can include millions and millions of users,” he said, citing recent US policy events.

“The question is, how well does this monopoly correlate with the public interest?”

Putin did not specifically name any technology companies.

His comments about recent US political events apparently referred to social media companies such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that imposed a ban on former President Donald Trump after his supporters stormed the US Chapter on January 6.

More recently, Google Alphabet said it would block its search engine for users in Australia if the government continued plans to introduce a new code that would force it and Facebook to pay media companies the right to and use the content.

The dispute is another growing attempt to regulate Big Tech.

Insufficient relations between Russia and the US have deteriorated as a result of a massive cyber attack targeting federal agencies, US election intervention and Navalny’s arrest.

In April 2019, Special Counsel 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 its fake accounts to influence voters and even to lead them to fabricated rallies.

Putin’s comments at the Davos Agenda summit come as Western government officials weigh in on new sanctions against Moscow over Navalny’s arrest.

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 detention of the opposition leader.

Navalny allies called for more protests in the coming days to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin.

The foreign ministers of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the high representative of the European Union, condemned Navalny’s “politically motivated” arrest.

The group also called for Navalny’s immediate and unconditional release and expressed “deep concern at the detention of thousands of protesters and journalists.”

In response to requests for Navalny’s urgent release from detention, the Kremlin previously said the Navalny case had received “artificial” resonance in the West.

Biden spoke with Putin on Tuesday for the first time since the former’s inauguration earlier this month. He raised a number of issues with the Russian president, including Navalny’s poisoning.

Biden warned Putin that the United States “will take strong action to defend its national interests in response to Russia’s actions that harm us or our allies,” according to a White House statement.

Navalny, widely regarded as Putin’s most prominent and staunch critic, was arrested by Russian authorities on January 17 while his flight from Berlin landed at a Moscow airport.

He was subsequently ordered to be detained for 30 days until February 15 and faces the prospect of years in prison.

It was the first time Navalny had returned to the country since he was poisoned last summer.

In his speech, Putin also warned that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing global problems and imbalances and that they could deteriorate to the point where there is a “all-against-all” struggle.