YouTube Expands Initial Ban for Russian State Media

On Friday, YouTube announced that it will block Russian government-run media channels worldwide, expanding on its initial ban for European users.

"Our Community Guidelines prohibit content denying, minimizing or trivializing well-documented violent events," YouTube said in a statement to The Hill on Friday. "We are now removing content about Russia's invasion in Ukraine that violates this policy."

"In line with that, we are also now blocking access to YouTube channels associated with Russian state-funded media globally, expanding from across Europe," the company added.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the tech platform had blocked channels including RT and Sputnik in Europe.

Coverage of the war by Russian state media has pushed the narrative that Ukraine is an aggressor and a nuclear threat.

In recent weeks, the portrayal of Ukraine as a threat to the region has continued, leading to calls for tech companies to censor Russian government-controlled media.

Instituting similar bans, Facebook and Instagram restricted access to Russian state media in Europe and are no longer recommending content by those groups, according to The Hill. TikTok put a similar ban in place in Europe.

Taking a somewhat different approach, Twitter is labeling all content that includes links to Russian state-run media.

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