Roskomnadzor Sues Google In Russia For Failing To Remove Video Content Deemed Prohibited

YouTube, which has blocked Russian government-funded media globally, (photo: pixabay doc)

JAKARTA - Russia's communications regulator on Tuesday, March 29 said it had filed two administrative cases against Alphabet Inc's Google for failing to remove illicit information from video-sharing platform YouTube. They accused him of blatantly promoting fake content.

Roskomnadzor said Google could be fined up to 8 million rubles (IDR 1.3 billion), or as much as 20% of the company's annual revenue in Russia for repeated violations. According to them, YouTube has become one of the main platforms in the "information war" against Russia.

While Google itself did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters, on the allegations.

Russia has also restricted access to Meta Platforms Inc.'s flagship Facebook and Instagram services, and Twitter since their invasion of Ukraine on February 24. This is the culmination of a simmering dispute with the US tech giant that has escalated into a battle to control the flow of information.

YouTube, which has blocked Russian state-funded media globally, is under heavy pressure from Moscow. They earlier this month accused him of spreading what they called threats against Russian citizens.

"The American platform openly allows the dissemination of false content, containing publicly significant inaccurate information about the course of special military operations in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as information of an extremist nature with calls for violence against Russian Soldiers," Roskomnadzor said.

Russia last week said Meta was guilty of "extremist activity", something Meta's lawyers denied in a Moscow court.

Russia launched what it calls special operations in Ukraine to undermine its neighbor's military capabilities and root out what it calls dangerous nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have also put up a tough fight while the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response.