Twitter Denies Blocking Extremist Accounts in Russia

Twitter said it hasn’t agreed to block extremist accounts in Russia, rebutting earlier statements by the country that access was being restricted.

Instead, the company said it’s been showing Russian officials how to report illegal content so that it could be withheld in the country, without committing to remove any specific accounts. Colin Crowell, Twitter’s public policy chief, met with Alexander Zharov, head of Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor. Russia is seeking to block content that it considers extremist, such as that of Ukrainian national groups. Zharov told reporters after the meeting that Twitter had agreed to prevent access to about 10 accounts. “That claim is inaccurate, as we did not agree to remove the accounts,” said Nu Wexler, a spokesman for Twitter. The company about a month ago blocked the account of Ukraine’s Pravyi Sektor group in Russia, but hasn’t removed other political accounts.