It is said that Youtube will not be blocked in Russia. The Russian government says that the move to block Youtube is likely to make Russian users suffer and should therefore be avoided.
In fact, Russia is known to have blocked other foreign social media platforms accused of spreading misinformation, especially regarding the war in Ukraine. YouTube has so far only been penalized but despite the fines it has still escaped the ban.
With around 90 million monthly users in Russia, YouTube is very popular and plays an important role in the digital economy. While Russia has other domestic versions of social media, YouTube alternatives haven't quite reached the same scale.
"We have no plans to shut down YouTube," said Russian Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadaev, quoted by Reuters, Wednesday (18/5/2022). "Above all, when we restrict something, we must clearly understand that our users will not suffer." he added.
Shadaev called competition an engine of progress and blocking is an extreme measure. Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube and Google, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Read:The culprit that caused the parent boss's treasure to evaporate Rp. 250 T
Simmering tensions between Moscow and foreign tech giants erupted after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Russia restricted access to Twitter and Facebook as well as Instagram in early March. In April, the Russian government made clear it would punish Google for shutting down Russian state-funded media globally on YouTube and accusing it of spreading false information about what Russia called a special military operation in Ukraine.
Meta was found guilty of "extremist activity" in March, a decision the company denied. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko said he would not rule out a return to Instagram, provided Meta complies with Russian laws on content and local offices.