YouTube blocks Russian channels RT, Sputnik in Europe

PARIS: YouTube has blocked Russian channels RT and Sputnik in Europe "taking into account the ongoing war in Ukraine", the video-sharing platform said on Tuesday.

"We are blocking the YouTube channels of RT and Sputnik in the whole of Europe with immediate effect. Our systems need a little time before being fully operational," YouTube said in an email to AFP.

Fellow online giant Facebook took a similar decision on Monday by blocking content published by RT and Sputnik in the European Union. The state-backed media organisations are considered mouthpieces of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday announced they and their subsidiaries would be banned from broadcasting in the bloc for spreading "lies to justify Putin’s war".

Meanwhile, Microsoft announced it wouldn’t display content or ads from RT and Sputnik, or include RT’s apps in its app store. And Google’s YouTube restricted Russian-state media from monetizing the site through ads, although the outlets are still uploading videos every few minutes on the site.On TikTok, a Chinese platform popular in the US for short, funny videos, state-affiliated media is not labeled as such. And pro-Russian pro-Russian propaganda and misinformation around the war has flourished on its site.

One recent video posted to RT’s TikTok channel, which is still active in the US, features a clip of Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to ex-President Donald Trump who now hosts a podcast with a penchant for misinformation and conspiracy theories.

“Ukraine isn’t even a country. It’s kind of a concept,” Bannon said in the clip, echoing a claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “So when we talk about sovereignty and self-determination it’s just a corrupt area where the Clintons have turned into a colony where they can steal money.”

Already, Facebook’s efforts to limit Russian state media’s reach have drawn ire from Russia. Last week, Meta officials said they had rebuffed Russia’s request to stop fact-checking or labeling posts made by Russian state media. Kremlin officials responded by restricting access to Facebook.

The company has also denied requests from Ukrainian officials who have asked Meta to remove access to its platforms in Russia. That would prevent everyday Russians from using the platforms to learn about the war, voice their views or organise protests, according to Nick Clegg, recently named the company’s vice president of global affairs

“We believe turning off our services would silence important expression at a crucial time,” Clegg wrote on Twitter on Sunday. More aggressive labeling of state media and moves to de-emphasize their content online might help reduce the spread of harmful material without cutting off a key information source, said Alexandra Givens, CEO of the Centre for Democracy and Technology, a Washington non-profit.

“These platforms are a way for dissidents to organise and push back,” Givens said. “The clearest indication of that is the regime has been trying to shut down access to Facebook and Twitter.”