Putin is feeling the Pain Now
It's time for Russia to reform,don't you think?
serf
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned against the increasing influence of large technology companies, which he said are "competing" with states.
His comments came as Russia ramps up pressure on the activities of foreign internet companies, which are not subject to state censorship unlike the majority of the country's media outlets.
"These are not just economic giants. In some areas they are already de facto competing with the state," Putin said during his address to the Davos virtual economic summit.
The Russian leader said it is unclear where the line is between a "succesful global business" and "attempts to crudely, at their own discretion, control society".
"We just saw it all in the United States," he added, referring to riots earlier this month in Washington led by supporters of then US President Donald Trump.
Moscow earlier this week accused US tech giants of interfering in Russia's internal affairs, in particular during anti-government protests led by supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Saturday.