"Google News is now considered the bearer of fake news."
That thought is exactly what Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecommunications regulator, wants Russians to believe as it accused Google's news aggregator of spreading false information about Russia's military operations in Ukraine, per Al Jazeera.
Google confirmed the regulator's action in a statement, saying that some people are having difficulties accessing the Google News app and website in the country due to the ban.
Russia's Ban on Google News Details
The telecommunications regulator told Russian news agency Interfax that the ban was made at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which provided access to publications and materials containing unreliable, publicly significant information about the ongoing "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The ban follows a new Russian law that makes reporting any event that could discredit the Russian military illegal, per a Reuters report. According to a Bleeping Computer report, the punishment for violating this new law is a 15-year prison sentence.
Earlier this month, Roskomnadzor asked Google to stop YouTube videos featuring ad campaigns that spread alleged misinformation regarding Russia's conflict with Ukraine. However, Google ignored the request, and instead of complying, it blocked YouTube channels belonging to Russia Today and Sputnik in Europe at the Europen Union's request.
The Russian telecommunications watchdog later protested the restrictions, demanding Google to remove the imposed restrictions on all official Russian media across Europe.
"Our policies prohibit content denying, minimizing or trivializing well-documented violent events, including Russia's invasion in Ukraine," Google said, per The Moscow Times.
Russian state media RIA Novosti mentioned that YouTube could follow Google News on the other side of the new Russian Iron Curtain as soon as this week. However, its popularity among the masses is giving Russian officials pause about outright banning it.
It is not known if Google's search engine would also follow its news aggregator. However, it remains the most-used search engine in Russia, surpassing that of local search engine provider Yandex NV.
Putin Unsuccessful in Controlling Narrative
Swinburne University of Technology's Belinda Barnet, who specializes in digital media and technology, told Al Jazeera that while the ban on Google News is consistent with Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire of controlling the narrative reaching his citizens, he hasn't been "terribly successful" at doing it.
"He hasn't been terribly successful at controlling the global narrative, [which is] due in part to the actions of platforms like Google blocking Kremlin-aligned outlets," Barnet said. "[However, it] does still have a stranglehold on his own domestic media outlets."
Google Evacuates Employees
Meanwhile, unnamed sources mentioned that Google has recently begun evacuating its staff from Russia due to the Russian government's recent crackdown on free speech, per Bloomberg.
The report also mentioned that it began assisting some of its 244 employees who expressed interest in relocating from Russia. The company is also working around the clock to provide "specialist safety and security, as well as other support" to Ukrainian employees.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.
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