Russia-Ukraine war: Video-sharing platform YouTube on Tuesday said it has blocked Russian channels RT and Sputnik across Europe in view of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Earlier, the European Union announced sanctions on Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik in response to Russia’s move to invade its neighbor Ukraine.
According to Reuters, YouTube has blocked Russian-backed media outlets RT (formerly called Russia Today) and Sputnik-linked channels across Europe, effective immediately, due to Russia’s attack in Ukraine. A YouTube spokesperson issued a statement saying that it will take time for our system to fully recover. Our teams are monitoring the situation round the clock to take swift action.
The move comes after YouTube announced steps to stop monetization on RT’s official channel. The move comes at a time when big technology companies are caught in the middle of the Russo-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, Twitter also announced that it will put a label on tweets from media related to the Russian government.
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Meanwhile, Facebook’s parent company Meta has also blocked Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik across the European Union. RT and Sputnik pages will no longer be visible on Facebook and Instagram in the EU. Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at META, said on Twitter that we have received requests from several governments and the European Union to take more steps regarding Russian state-controlled media.
“Given the extraordinary nature of the current situation, we will at this time restrict access to RT and Sputnik throughout the EU,” he posted late Monday. The social network has also barred Russian state media from advertising on the platform.
Meta previously blocked access to several Russian state-controlled accounts in Ukraine. The social network said it was also reviewing requests from other governments to restrict access to these accounts in their countries.
Meta has also shut down a network in Ukraine to block people who posed as news editors, aviation engineers and writers to spread misinformation about the Russian invasion on social media platforms.
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