Russia has warned it will block YouTube if the platform does not cancel a case it considers censorship | Reacted after suspension of RT accounts in Germany

The body responsible for regulating telecommunications in Russia warned that will block YouTube if the video platform does not lift the suspension of the accounts of public television RT in Germany. The platform’s decision was described as “censorship” by the Russian authorities.

Roskomnadzor, the body responsible for overseeing the functioning of Russian media under the law, said he asked the owner of YouTube Google. to “lift as quickly as possible” the restrictions against the Russian signals RTDE and Der Fehlende Part, removed by the platform in Germany. Both stations belong to the Russian public network RT.

The agency recalled that the “law provides for a total or partial suspension of access if the owner of a platform does not execute a warning”.

YouTube’s argument and Russia’s reaction

YouTube claims to have blocked the accounts of the two signals on Tuesday for “breaking the internal rules of the community”, spreading “false information” about the coronavirus.

Faced with the move, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan criticized the video platform’s decision and, in a post on her social media, called the situation a “media war”.

The Kremlin called move “censorship” and he considered that the adoption of coercive measures against this platform so that it complies with Russian laws is not excluded.

“There are signs that Russian laws have been violated and grossly violated. This has to do with censorship and obstacles to the dissemination of information,” the spokesperson told reporters. word of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov.

Shortly before, the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement accused the German authorities of “having encouraged” this decision, the aim of which is to “silence” a media which annoys them. “To take symmetrical retaliatory measures against the German media in Russia (…) seems not only appropriate but necessary”, added the ministry.

German government clarification

German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert underlined that the country’s authorities have “nothing to do” with this suspension of RT and warned that “anyone who calls for retaliation is not showing sufficient respect for press freedom”.

RT, which broadcasts in English, French and Spanish, is viewed by some rival or adversary countries of Russia as a Kremlin propaganda tool abroad.

According to the German press, YouTube blocked RTDE accounts because this media wanted, via its channel Der Fehlende Part, to bypass a ban on broadcasting new videos for a week due to the spread of disinformation about the coronavirus.

Russia’s standoff with social media and digital platforms

Russia has a policy of defense against large social networks and digital platforms, which it accuses of being in the pay of Western interests.

Among other measures, it forced Google and Apple to block a series of content in Russia linked to imprisoned opponent Alexey Navalny, an act that the opposition leader criticized and described as “complicity” with alleged censorship by President Vladimir Putin.

Company sources suggested they had caved in to Russia because their workers there risked arrest.

Many Western countries see Russia as waging disinformation campaigns on social media to sow discord or meddle for electoral purposes, as happened in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Symmetrically, Moscow and other nations criticize the use of media conglomerates to strengthen American cultural hegemony in the world.

In this sense, the Russian government now demands that the telecommunications giants moderate content in Russia and comply with very strict Russian standards.

Twitter’s slowness in Russia

Twitter, accused of not removing content deemed illegal, has been operating very slowly in Russia since March. Videos, photos, and other heavier content are very difficult to download.

In January, Putin considered that the Internet giants were “in competition” with states and denounced their “attempts to brutally control society”. Russia adopted a law in 2019 for the development of a sovereign internet.

The authorities deny wanting to build a national network under their control, as in China, but this is exactly what the opposition and NGOs fear.

The digital giants will soon have to open official representations that will be responsible for “any violation of Russian law”.