Thu 24 March 2022:
Russia’s media regulator has imposed restrictions on Google News, accusing the company of disseminating “false” material on Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
According to a statement from Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor reported by the agencies, the decision was made at the request of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office.
“Google provided access to numerous publications and materials that contain false information… about the course of the special military operation on Ukrainian territory,” the statement by Russia’s media regulator says.
“We’ve confirmed that some people are having difficulty accessing the Google News app and website in Russia and that this is not due to any technical issues on our end,” Google said in statement.
“We’ve worked hard to keep information services like News accessible to people in Russia for as long as possible.”
“The American online news resource in question provided access to numerous publications and materials containing inauthentic and publicly important information about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine,” Interfax quoted the regulator as saying.
A new Russian law makes it illegal to report any event that could discredit the Russian military.
The Russian regulator’s announcement comes after it last week demanded Google stop allowing the spread of threats on YouTube that “are terrorist in nature and threaten the life and health of Russian citizens”.
“Google’s prohibition on content that exploits, dismisses or condones the conflict in Ukraine would have been an issue for Moscow. However, blocking access is a significant step,” Nicholls said. “It’s likely that similar geoblocking will be extended to other large networks as Moscow tries to control the narrative of the conflict. It’s hard to portray the conflict as a “special operation” when Google News provides access to NATO’s Russian casualty estimates.”
Under a law signed by Putin earlier this month, spreading “fake news” about the Russian military is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
On Monday, a Russian court banned Facebook and Instagram in the country after finding them responsible for “extremist activities”.
Since the beginning of Russia’s engagement in Ukraine on February 24, the Russian government has strengthened its grip on information on the internet, one of the country’s last bastions of free expression.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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