YouTube blocks Russian lower house channel for violating conditions

YouTube has blocked Duma TV, the channel of the Russian lower house. According to a report from the platform, Duma TV has “violated YouTube’s terms of service.” It is not clear exactly what conditions the channel has violated.

The YouTube channel broadcasting from the Russian parliament has been offline since Saturday. Google late in a comment to Reuters know that it “commits to complying with all applicable measures and sanctions.” “If we find that an account is violating our terms of service, we take appropriate action. Our teams are closely monitoring the situation for any changes,” Google said.

In response to the blockade, several Russian politicians and officials want to impose punitive measures on YouTube. The video platform is still available in Russia. Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor is demanding that parent company Google make the channel available again. “The US IT company is holding on to a decidedly anti-Russian stance in the information war that the West has unleashed against our country,” Roskomnadzor said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the State Duma, says the blockade of Duma TV is “further evidence of Washington’s violation of rights and freedoms.” “The US wants to obtain a monopoly on the distribution of information. We cannot let that happen,” Volodin wrote in a Telegram message.