What is the reason why YouTube can continue to distribute videos in Russia while resisting the `` digital iron curtain ''?



Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the Russian government has

restricted access to ``platforms that can serve as sources of foreign information for Russian citizens,'' such as Twitter and Facebook. However, only YouTube is a platform accessible to Russian citizens even at the time of article creation, and the Wall Street Journal reports on 'Why is YouTube not regulated by Russia?'

How YouTube Keeps Broadcasting Inside Russia's Digital Iron Curtain - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-keeps-broadcasting-inside-russias-digital-iron-curtain-11659951003

YouTube: Latent Power and a Potential Flash Point within Russia? : Stephen E. Arnold @ Beyond Search
http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2022/08/08/youtube-latent-power-and-a-potential-flash-point-within-russia/

Since Russia began its war with Ukraine, various platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made clear their opposition to the war-making government by deleting accounts that spread anti-Ukrainian rumors related to the Russian government. I came. As a result, the Russian government has blocked domestic access to Twitter, Facebook and other news sites. This access block was also to limit the public's exposure to 'unbiased information' about the war from outside Russia.

Russian authorities restrict access to Twitter and Facebook - GIGAZINE



YouTube also implements `` measures such as prohibiting the use of YouTube advertisements by Russian state media '' in order to impose sanctions on the Russian government. However, as of August 2022, Google-owned YouTube remains one of the few platforms where Russians can view and discuss images of the war between Russia and Ukraine from independent media outlets. Google executives also expected that 'the availability of YouTube in Russia' would not last long, and this situation is surprising to many people involved.

Russian state media is prohibited from using YouTube ads and viewing from within Ukraine is also regulated - GIGAZINE



On the other hand, the Russian government has repeatedly requested YouTube to restore closed Russian government-related YouTube channels. After that, he warned that Google would be fined up to 20% of its annual revenue for not deleting illegal YouTube videos. As a result, Google's Russian corporation had its bank account seized and went bankrupt.

Google's Russian corporation seized a bank account and went bankrupt - GIGAZINE



As mentioned above, the relationship between Google and YouTube and Russia is not good, but at the time of writing the article, the Russian government has not restricted domestic access to YouTube. The Russian government has restricted access to Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, and even Google's Google News from within the country. The Wall Street Journal describes access restrictions from within the country by the Russian government as a 'digital version of the iron curtain'. In addition to YouTube, only Telegram , a chat application, has succeeded in escaping the restrictions of this 'digital iron curtain'.

Due to the 'digital Iron Curtain', the Russian government has blocked thousands of news sites containing accurate information about the war with Ukraine and content that challenges the propaganda of the Russian government. Many videos similar to the content that has been regulated by the 'digital version of the iron curtain' are also uploaded on YouTube. As for why YouTube is still not blocked, experts say, ``The Russian government has decided that YouTube is too popular to block.''

'The Russian government understands that it will face public backlash if it blocks popular platforms like YouTube in the country,' said Nu Wexler, who has worked as a policy communications staff at companies including Google, Meta and Twitter. I am doing it,' he said.

The Wall Street Journal has asked Russian communications regulators why YouTube is not subject to access restrictions, but no response from the authorities has been received at the time of writing. In addition, as of March 2022, a Russian government spokesperson explained that the reason for imposing restrictions on Internet access was ``due to the completely unprecedented information war unleashed against Russia''.

In May 2022, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki explained why YouTube will continue to operate in Russia, saying, 'It will help the Russian public know 'what's going on' and have an outside world perspective. I hope so,” he explained.



As of June 2022, YouTube has more than 85 million monthly unique users in Russia, according to analytics firm SimilarWeb. Also, according to a survey conducted by Levada Center, an independent Russian polling company, in April 2022, YouTube is the second most popular social network in Russia. The most popular social network is VKontakte.

YouTube is much more popular than Rutube, a local video streaming service in Russia. According to SimilarWeb, as of June 2022, Rutube has 9.7 million monthly unique users. According to Russian government officials, Rutube has received a large amount of funding from PJSC, a division of Russia's state-owned Gazprom.

However, Igor Ashmanov, a member of the Presidential Council, which conducts human rights activities in Russia, commented, ``I expect that access to YouTube will be blocked in Russia by the fall.'' Another official said that some Russian companies that provided servers for relaying YouTube videos had terminated their contracts with Google, making it possible to watch YouTube even if access was not restricted. He points out that it may disappear. In response, a Google spokesperson said, 'We are continuing to work hard to make YouTube accessible in Russia.'

In addition, YouTube channels operated by Russian independent media such as Meduza and TV Rain are gaining popularity on YouTube in Russia, and in July 2022 Mark An interview in Russian by Mr. Fagin is ranked in YouTube's 'surge'. However, not all Russian YouTube users seem to watch this kind of video, and Ekaterina Terzi, who works as an educational consultant in Russia, said, 'This kind of content scrolls through.' says.

in Web Service, Posted by logu_ii