YouTube Geoblocks Russian Channels Across Europe

March 1, 2022 Russia, Social Media

TechCrunch reports:

Google has just announced that YouTube will geoblock the Kremlin-affiliated media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in Europe, following pressure from regional lawmakers to choke off Russian war propaganda. YouTube hosts thousands of videos by the two Russian state-affiliated media firms and RT’s own channel marketing claims it’s “the most watched news network on YouTube.” Yesterday Facebook, Microsoft, TikTok and Twitter announced similar restrictions.

Read the full article.

YouTube geoblocks Russia Today, Sputnik channels in Europe https://t.co/0alIATSXpJ by @riptari

— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) March 1, 2022

Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we’re blocking YouTube channels connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe, effective immediately. It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action.

— Google Europe (@googleeurope) March 1, 2022