Spotify music platform announced this Friday that it will interrupt all of its services in Russia because the recent laws restricting media freedom they could endanger both your employees and your listeners.
In a press release, the Swedish company, which in addition to music offers a whole range of podcasts with political content, pointed out that it expects to complete the suspension of all its services by the end of April.
The announcement of the total suspension comes after Spotify will notify the closure of its office of Russia earlier this month and days later it will cancel its payment service, offering only the free one.
“Spotify still thinks it is of vital importance to try to keep our services in Russia operational to offer independent news and information in the region“, begins the statement.
“Unfortunately, recently passed legislation that restricts access to information, removes freedom of expression and criminalizes certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify workers and possibly our listeners at risk,” the text adds. .
Other big tech companies, including Google and Apple, have stopped offering certain services in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, as well as several banks and iconic American companies such as McDonald’s and Starbucks.
As a consequence of the laws approved in Russia that restrict information on the invasion of Ukraine, several media outlets temporarily suspended their activity in the country, including the BBC or EFE, while others reduced their presence, such as CNN or the New YorkTimes.