YouTube is blocking Russian state-backed media outlets from advertising and making money on its platform, Reuters reported. YouTube told Reuters it was “suspending the ability of some channels to make money on YouTube, including several Russian channels linked to recent sanctions”.
YouTube spokesman Farshad Shadloo told Reuters that YouTube would reduce the number of times it would recommend Russian state-run media to users. Some of those channels – including RT – will also be restricted in Ukraine at a government request, possibly in response to Ukraine’s digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s call for YouTube to block Russian propaganda on the platform.
While YouTube says it bans RT from running ads, it remains unclear which other channels have also been temporarily taken down. As Politico chief technology reporter Mark Scott pointed out on Twitter, some state-backed channels appear to still have ads. The Verge asked YouTube for a list of affected channels but received no immediate response.
Veteran Facebook has moved to suspend state-backed Russian media advertising on its platform, while Twitter has suspended all advertising in Ukraine and Russia to help ensure the visibility of public safety messages. Russia has since restricted access to Facebook and Twitter. While Russia has yet to block YouTube, it threatened to ban the platform altogether by removing two RT channels in September.
