Russia threatens to BAN Twitter if 'banned content' is not taken down within 30 days

The Russian government has threatened to ban Twitter from the country if the website does not remove "banned content" within 30 days, Daily Mail reports.

The "banned content," according to Russia' media censor Roskomnadzor, includes child pornography, information about child suicide, and drugs.

"Twitter is not reacting to our requests as they should. If the situation carries on then it will be blocked in a month without a court order," said Roskomnadzor deputy head Vadim Subbotin.

The announcement comes one week after Subbotin announced that Twitter's internet speed would be slowed down for not removing the content.

Critics have disparaged the Russian government's announcement, arguing that the move is a veiled attempt to censor critics of President Vladimir Putin, many of whom use Twitter to organize political rallies.

Such critics site an ongoing lawsuit by the Russian government against Twitter, which alleges that Twitter is allowing material to spread on its platform encouraging children to join anti-Putin protests. It is illegal for children to attend protests in Russia.

Twitter is also a prominently-used platform by Russian dissident Alexey Navalny, who was recently jailed by the Russian government for violating parole. Critics of the Russian government have argued, however, that the actual reason for his imprisonment relates to his leading role in the country's opposition against Vladimir Putin, who has ruled the nation for over two decades.

While Navalny was not allowed to appear on Russian media networks due to government censorship, he has made prolific use of social media, which can more easily evade state censorship rules, in order to spread his message.

Vladimir Putin last year signed a law allowing the Russian government to exert more control over social media, specifically allowing the government to interfere with social media companies which "discriminate" against Russian news media outlets.