Russia’s telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor has banned Google‘s news services, Google News and news.google.com domain. Roskomnadzor claimed that the tech giant is providing access to unreliable information about the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Spreading fake news
Roskomnadzor’s decision came shortly after Putin’s new law that makes it illegal to spread fake news knowingly about Russia’s operations in Ukraine. Anyone who spreads fake news can face up to 15 years in the country with the new legislation.
Roskomnadzor also asked Google to stop advertising campaigns spreading misinformation about the invasion. In response, Google decided to block Russia Today’s and Sputnik’s YouTube channels in Europe at the request of the European Union. Roskomnadzor protested Google’s decision and demanded the removal of all restrictions to official accounts. Roskomnadzor announced,
« Based on a request from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Roskomnadzor has restricted access to the Internet service News.Google in the country. The mentioned U.S. Internet news resource provided access to numerous publications and materials containing unreliable, publicly significant information about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine. »