TV streaming app re-broadcasts Russian channels banned by Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service'; Audiovisual Council demands urgent measures

Over 30 audiovisual media services from Russia and Belarus, many of which are banned by the Intelligence Information and Security Service (SIS), are re-broadcast through a streaming application. More and more citizens have received messages urging them to subscribe and access these programmes. In this regard, the Audiovisual Council (AC) demanded that the competent authorities take action.

According to the current legislation, the rebroadcasting of audiovisual media services is allowed only with an authorization issued by the AC and involves capturing and providing content simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously, in full and unaltered. Without an authorization, such practices may be considered illegal.

Following an analysis of the streaming application's website, the AC found out that the platform provided access to 32 audiovisual media services from the Russian Federation and Belarus, many of which are blocked in Moldova by SIS.

Moreover, this application can be downloaded via the Google Play platform, allowing access to 11 audiovisual media services.

In this case, the AC notes the difficulty of establishing the application's jurisdiction, making it necessary to identify where the audiovisual content is uploaded. If this is done from Moldova, the application falls under the Code of Audiovisual Media Services (CSMA) and must be authorized by the AC.

“Given the fact that the application re-broadcasts content blocked by the SIS Director's Order and its jurisdiction is not clearly established, the Audiovisual Council informed the relevant institutions and demanded the taking of necessary measures to protect the national audiovisual space and ensure information security,” reads the AC’s press release.

The AC reminds that it has earlier imposed more sanctions on media service distributors within the jurisdiction of Moldova for re-broadcasting banned programs. At the same time, during 2022, more providers were sanctioned for failing to comply with the obligation of accurately informing in programmes coming from the Russian Federation, also available through the streaming application.