(RightIsRight.co) – Since its launch in February 2005, viewers around the world head to YouTube for news, instructional videos, and entertainment among other things. Now, the Google-owned website is facing scrutiny from the Russian government after it removed two channels from its domain.
On Tuesday, September 28, YouTube deleted two German-speaking channels backed by the Russian government from its site, accusing them of spreading “medical misinformation” about vaccines. The tech giant had simply suspended the channels, but in the end, it chose to fully delete them after a thorough review of their content.
However, the following day, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor announced that it would ban YouTube from the entire country if the Big Tech giant failed to restore the deleted channels. The Foreign Ministry called YouTube’s move an “obvious manifestation of censorship and suppression of freedom of expression.”
Journalist Bryan MacDonald shared more about Russia’s opinion on the matter:
BREAKING: Russia's national media regulator has warned YouTube that it could face a total ban in the world's largest country if the American tech giant doesn't unblock RT's German-language channels.
It cites a "a fundamental breach of Russian law."https://t.co/uQZhOca4Kk
— Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) September 29, 2021
If both YouTube and Russia stand their ground during this face-off, it could likely lead to the Silicon Valley giant’s first major removal from a nation. This would hugely affect their bottom line and potentially give more nations the idea that banning Big Tech websites is actually a viable option in some cases.
Copyright 2021, RightIsRight.co
