Spotify said on Wednesday it has closed its office in Russia
indefinitely in response to what the audio streaming platform described as
Moscow's "unprovoked attack on Ukraine."
Since July 2021, Russian legislation signed by President
Vladimir Putin has obliged foreign social media companies with more than
500,000 daily users to open local offices or be subject to restrictions as
severe as outright bans.
Ahead of the March deadline, only a few companies, including
Spotify, had complied. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, which
Moscow calls a “special operation,” Western governments have urged companies to
push back on Putin in any way possible.
"Our first priority over the past week has been the
safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an
important source of global and regional news at a time when access to
information is more important than ever," Spotify said in a statement.
Spotify said it has reviewed thousands of pieces of content
since the start of the war, and has restricted the discoverability of shows
owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media.
Earlier this week, it also removed all content from state
media RT and Sputnik from Spotify in the European Union and other markets,
following similar steps by Meta Platforms Inc's Facebook and Twitter.
The company said it would match employee donations,
two-to-one, to support local humanitarian efforts.
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