Support The Moscow Times!

Free Speech a ‘Core Value,’ YouTube CEO Says After Blocking Russian Opposition Videos

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. Fortune Conferences / flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

YouTube considers free speech to be one of its “core values” despite its removal of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s voting strategy videos ahead of Russia’s parliamentary elections, the video streaming site’s CEO told Bloomberg Television on Monday.  

Google-owned YouTube sparked cries of censorship both in Russia and abroad when it blocked the “Smart Voting” video posted by Navalny’s team ahead of the Sept. 19 vote, citing a Russian government order. The video recommended candidates that appeared most likely to defeat politicians from the pro-Kremlin ruling party after most vocal Kremlin critics were shut out from the ballot. 

“When we work with governments, there are many things that we have to take in consideration, whether it’s local laws or what’s happening on the ground,” CEO Susan Wojcicki said in the platform’s first public comments since the video was taken down.

Russia banned Navalny’s organizations as “extremist” in June amid a wide-reaching crackdown on President Vladimir Putin’s opponents.  

Google and Apple also removed Team Navalny’s Smart Voting app from their stores ahead of the vote, with news reports saying the companies bowed to Russia’s threats of serious criminal charges and incarceration of local staff. 

But observers raised the alarm over the potential precedent set by YouTube, which has become a safe haven for Russia's opposition-minded bloggers and activists to voice their opinions without fear of censorship.

“I think we really want to make sure that we’re working and serving audiences as much as we possibly can,” Wojcicki said, adding that “if it comes to a point where there’s an issue with the government, we’ll do our best always to work that out.” 

Navalny, who was imprisoned in January and has seen his allies arrested or flee the country, has nonetheless aimed to dent the Kremlin's grip on parliament from behind bars with his “Smart Voting” strategy. 

He took to Twitter to criticize the U.S. tech giants, accusing them of acting as President Vladimir Putin's "accomplices.”

"If something surprised me in the latest elections, it was not how Putin forged the results, but how obediently the almighty Big Tech turned into his accomplices," Navalny tweeted.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more