14 Mar 2022 18:36

YouTube may be blocked in Russia in near future - Duma deputy

MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - YouTube may soon be blocked in Russia if the video hosting platform fails to comply with Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor's requirements, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications and member of the United Russia faction Anton Gorelkin said.

"The resolve displayed by the state authorities to block Instagram is a clear message: the same thing could happen to YouTube in the near future if the video hosting platform continues to act as a weapon in the information war. The platform is doing this blatantly and obviously on the orders of its owners. Roskomnadzor has all the legal grounds to restrict access to the platform, and the list of violations is very impressive," Gorelkin said on Telegram.

In total, 2,501 materials of illegal and destructive nature were not removed from the online platform, Roskomnadzor's demands to remove 2,387 materials "with unreliable information about the special operation in Donbas" were ignored, and "censorship against Russian users and Russian media is exercised almost on a constant basis," he said.

The parliamentarian believes that "only YouTube itself" can prevent sanctions against it today. "The platform needs to fulfill our legal requirements," Gorelkin said.

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram were previously blocked in Russia.