Medvedev calls out Big Tech for acting ‘according to its own rules’

Tech giants who control social networks act according their own rules and pursue policies that are not always fair and this sparks condemnation from a number of countries, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev says on Wednesday during the VKLive streaming, TASS reports.

Social networks have played a great role during the pandemic, the official said. People were able to invite volunteers and ask for help through them. Furthermore, many tasks could not be solved during the toughest stage of the coronavirus pandemic without social networks. Furthermore, their impact is currently much greater than the influence of legacy media, Medvedev noted.

"However, problems also exist. They are political because many social networks are owned by major companies - IT giants, and they pursue their own policy. This policy goes hand in hand with their interests and they often act against their own politicians," the official said. "They act according to their own legal domain, and according to their own rules, and these rules are far from always being fair," he stressed.

"Such policies have been questioned and condemned in a great number of countries. The Europeans ask such questions, to say nothing of former US President Donald Trump, who is extremely disappointed with these developments [the blocking of his social network accounts - TASS]," Medvedev pointed out.