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Digital rights group Access Now, alongside over 20 Russian and international civil society organizations, called on YouTube and its parent company Google to cease aiding the Kremlin in censoring independent media and human rights organizations in Russia, in an open letter on Tuesday. The letter, titled ‘Open letter to YouTube and Google: Stop helping Roskomnadzor censor Runet,’ demands that YouTube and Google assess all blocking orders against international human rights standards and challenge any that unduly restrict access to protected expression.
YouTube has blocked several anti-war videos on military service evasion since February 2024 at the request of Russian authorities. Blocking notice was given to the channel belonging to the human rights organization ‘Roskomsvoboda’ as well as to the independent Russian TV channel TV Rain. Human rights channel ‘Kak Teper?‘ (‘What Now?’), from the OVD-info human rights project, was also threatened with blockage. At least three of the previously censored videos were unblocked by YouTube, following significant media outrage by Russian independent outlets, on May 21, 2024. However, these videos remain inaccessible through YouTube’s search engine within Russia.
There has been ongoing tension between tech companies and the Russian government in the last few years. Towards the end of 2021, Google and Meta were fined for alleged violations of Russian law. Following significant penalties and a hostile environment, Google declared the bankruptcy of its Russian subsidiary in 2022, halting all monetization and advertising services in the country. Despite these setbacks, YouTube remains a crucial platform for independent Russian publishers, media, bloggers and public organizations. According to the letter, it offers a rare avenue for free expression in a heavily censored environment.
The open letter points to the European Court of Human Rights, which has repeatedly found Russian legal norms restricting information access to be vague and contradictory to the European Convention on Human Rights. This could be observed in cases “Kablis v. Russia”, “Engels v. Russia” and “Flavus, Kharitonov, Bulgakov v. Russia”. Additionally, the UN Human Rights Committee, in its 2022 observations, criticized Russia’s extensive blocking of internet resources and urged the repeal of laws that excessively restrict freedom of expression.
Signatories of the letter include prominent organizations like Access Now, Roskomsvoboda, OVD-Info and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), among others.
The post Digital rights and civil society groups urge YouTube and Google to resist Russia censorship appeared first on JURIST - News.
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YouTube has blocked several anti-war videos on military service evasion since February 2024 at the request of Russian authorities. Blocking notice was given to the channel belonging to the human rights organization ‘Roskomsvoboda’ as well as to the independent Russian TV channel TV Rain. Human rights channel ‘Kak Teper?‘ (‘What Now?’), from the OVD-info human rights project, was also threatened with blockage. At least three of the previously censored videos were unblocked by YouTube, following significant media outrage by Russian independent outlets, on May 21, 2024. However, these videos remain inaccessible through YouTube’s search engine within Russia.
There has been ongoing tension between tech companies and the Russian government in the last few years. Towards the end of 2021, Google and Meta were fined for alleged violations of Russian law. Following significant penalties and a hostile environment, Google declared the bankruptcy of its Russian subsidiary in 2022, halting all monetization and advertising services in the country. Despite these setbacks, YouTube remains a crucial platform for independent Russian publishers, media, bloggers and public organizations. According to the letter, it offers a rare avenue for free expression in a heavily censored environment.
The open letter points to the European Court of Human Rights, which has repeatedly found Russian legal norms restricting information access to be vague and contradictory to the European Convention on Human Rights. This could be observed in cases “Kablis v. Russia”, “Engels v. Russia” and “Flavus, Kharitonov, Bulgakov v. Russia”. Additionally, the UN Human Rights Committee, in its 2022 observations, criticized Russia’s extensive blocking of internet resources and urged the repeal of laws that excessively restrict freedom of expression.
Signatories of the letter include prominent organizations like Access Now, Roskomsvoboda, OVD-Info and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), among others.
The post Digital rights and civil society groups urge YouTube and Google to resist Russia censorship appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.