Spotify has become the latest US tech company to suspend its services in Russia due to the fallout from the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Friday, Spotify said it had no choice but to leave the Russian market, citing a new law in the country that essentially outlaws independent journalism.
The law, passed earlier this month, empowers Russian authorities to jail anyone for spreading alleged false information about the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, numerous news organizations, including The New York Times and CNN, pulled their journalists out from Russia or suspended broadcasts in the country.
Many other US tech companies have already suspended business in Russia to protest the country’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the Sweden-based Spotify sought to keep its services online in Russia, citing the need to bring trustworthy news reporting to the country’s users. In addition to music, Spotify is a major provider of podcasts.
“Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk,” the company said in a statement. “After carefully considering our options and the current circumstances, we have come to the difficult decision to fully suspend our service in Russia.”
It’ll take time for Spotify to wind down its services for Russia, but the company expects the suspension to fully take effect in early April. Spotify already suspended new sign-ups for the paid Premium service earlier this month. Recent payment restrictions against the Russian market also forced the company to transition all local subscribers to the ad-based free service.
The decision to temporarily leave the country’s market occurs as Russia has already been blocking access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google News. As a result, Russia is losing another source of independent news. However, many users in the country have been responding by downloading VPN apps, which can bypass the Kremlin’s censorship.