Russia has come out on top of a ranking of government requests to have online content removed or blocked, according to Google’s latest Transparency Report.
Last year, the Russian authorities filed more than 13,000 requests with the search engine to have online content on Google platforms removed, including on YouTube.
Compared to 2015, the number of requests from the Russian authorities increased by 478 percent. Most were received in the second half of 2016, the report shows.
Russia’s contribution was more than half of the total number of requests received by Google from all other countries’ governments combined.
According to the Transparency Report, 85 percent of the Russian requests cited “national security,” five percent “government criticism,” and 2 percent “the promotion of suicide" as concerns.
Google blocked or deleted 74 percent of the material flagged by Russian government agencies, including 160 YouTube videos.
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.
Remind me later.
