YouTube blocks more than 80 Russian channels this year - Roskomnadzor

MOSCOW. July 10 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has threatened the video hosting platform YouTube, owned by Google, with revenue-based fines for blocking Russian channels, the number of which has exceeded 80 this year compared to only 27 last year.

"The number of domestic resources blocked by the video hosting service has increased this year. Specifically, the service has restricted user access to 83 Russian Internet pages since the start of 2024, to 27 Internet pages in 2023, to 63 Internet pages in 2022, to 21 Internet pages in 2021, and to 13 Internet pages in 2020," Roskomnadzor said.

"YouTube, owned by the U.S. company Google LLC, is blocking en masse the channels of Russian state media [and] the pages of well-known Russian writers and artists who speak in support of Russia and the authorities' actions," it said.

"The restrictions fundamentally violate the key principles of free dissemination of information and unimpeded access to it," Roskomnadzor said. "Such actions by the video hosting service are unacceptable - this is an act of censorship," it said.

"Russian legislation envisages liability for owners of Internet resources for ignoring warnings about violations of Russians' rights on the Internet, including censorship of Russian media. The fine is from 5% to 10% of the total amount of a company's revenue for the preceding year, but no less than four million rubles," it said.

"The fine for a repeated violation is from 10% to 20% of the total revenue of the company for the preceding year, but no less than eight million rubles," the report said.

Among the channels subjected to restrictions by YouTube since 2020 are Solovyov LIVE, Crimea 24, RT, RBC, NTV, and the Federation Council's official channel, Roskomnadzor said. The video hosting service has also restricted user access to the accounts of music performers Shaman, Polina Gagarina, Oleg Gazmanov, Grigory Leps, Yulia Chicherina, and also the channel of writer Zakhar Prilepin, the resource of Olympic competitive gymnastics champion Nikita Nagorny, the channels of football clubs CSKA and Akhmat, and others.