The numerous threats by the Russian censorship authority to block YouTube are unlikely to be implemented. The effects would be too strong. Despite all the threats, the Russian government will probably not block the video streaming service YouTube. The Minister for Digital Development said so, as reported by the Reuters news agency. The move to completely censor the platform would probably have too strong an impact on users of the service in Russia.
Since the start of the Ukraine war when Russian troops invaded the country, the Russian government has taken massive censorship measures against freedom of expression and freedom of the press. This includes classic media such as daily newspapers and radio stations, whose reporting options are restricted, but also social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Wikipedia.
However, these efforts to censor international websites in particular often come to nothing, since Russia itself has problems with its infrastructure. In addition, many people in Russia are probably bypassing the technical blockades. At least that's what the provider Cloudflare or the makers of the anti-censorship app Lantern reported.
Russia And YouTube
The YouTube streaming service was also repeatedly the focus of the Roskomnadzor censorship authority in these efforts. For example, YouTube has been asked to make blocked channels and content available again on the service. YouTube has also been threatened with fines and the possibility of a blockade because Russia believes that the service contains false information.
According to Reuters, however, Maksut Shadaev, Minister for Digital Development, has just said: "We do not intend to close YouTube". And further: "If we restrict something, we should above all be aware that our users do not suffer from it".
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