How has the block been implemented, and why did YouTube suspend these companies in particular? Let’s find out.
Why Did YouTube Suspend RT and Sputnik?
Following the war in Ukraine escalating, the country’s government wrote a letter to YouTube. The correspondence, which circulated on Twitter, asked the company to block the channels of certain Russian outlets in Ukraine and around the world.
Soon after, President of the European Commission—Ursula von der Leyden—tweeted that the European Union (EU) would ban RT and Sputnik within its member states.
According to Reuters, the Prime Ministers of four countries—Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia—also wrote a letter of their own to Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Each of them demanded that these companies tackle online misinformation related to the war in the Ukraine.
YouTube opted to remove both RT and Sputnik within the EU as a result. Beforehand, Russian media channels were demonetized on the platform anyway—due to sanctions placed by the US on Russia.
How Does the Ban Work?
According to Google’s blog, YouTube has outright blocked RT and Sputnik’s channels in Europe. And when people around the world search for topics related to the war in Ukraine on YouTube, its algorithm takes them away from Russia-allied media outlets, and towards news sources it deems “authoritative”.
Moreover, Google says that YouTube “has also removed hundreds of channels and thousands of videos for violating its Community Guidelines, including a number of channels engaging in coordinated deceptive practices”.
What Else Is Google Doing About the War in Ukraine?
Google’s Advanced Protection Program, which delivers its highest level of cybersecurity, has been deployed to protect the accounts of hundreds of high-risk users in Ukraine.
Google has also deployed Project Shield to protect over 100 Ukrainian websites against being shut down by Russia-allied hackers through distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Will RT and Sputnik Return to YouTube?
Both the US and the EU have said they will remove all sanctions if Russia withdraws from the Ukraine. Therefore, as long as Russian forces are in the country, RT and Sputnik will not be available on YouTube.
The Ukrainian war has continued since 2014, and it’s unclear yet when the conflict will end. Nobody knows if Russian troops will withdraw, either, meaning that Sputnik and RT’s future on YouTube is uncertain.
