Twitter has blocked an account parodying Igor Sechin, the powerful head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, after Russian state media watchdog Roskomnadzor complained that it violated privacy laws.
The Twitter feed @igor_sechin was blocked inside Russia as of April 30, a move that comes amid Russian authorities’ increased efforts to target the online activities of government critics.
The anonymous user behind the account posted a complaint received by the California-based social media site from Roskomnadzor, which stated that the Twitter feed violated Russia’s law “on personal data.”
The account has more than 27,000 followers and posts satirical tweets purportedly from Sechin, a longtime confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Alexei Shelestenko, a representative for Twitter in Russia, said he did not know why the account was blocked.
Roskomnadzor spokesman Vadim Ampelonsky told TJ Journal that the agency likely moved to have the account blocked after receiving a complaint.
