Russia wants to replace YouTube, proposing national video platforms
The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, proposed today the creation of national video platforms to replace YouTube due to the alleged “censorship” of this service to Russian media. The Russian supervisor said in a statement that they drew attention to the Russian media about the need to maintain information channels on national video platforms. They ask leading technology companies to help Russian media to create and popularize them.
Roskomnadzor made this proposal after accusing Google on Saturday of having imposed a “complete veto” on YouTube on the creation of channels by ANNA News, an Abkhazian Network News Agency.
A specific policy of censorship concerning the Russian media is unacceptable and violates the fundamental principles of free dissemination of information and unimpeded access to it, the Russian regulator said in its statement.
It is not the first time that Russia’s communications supervisory agency has accused the large US internet multinationals of making it difficult for Russian media to access their platforms.
Last October it argued that Google, Facebook and Twitter restricted access to materials from some 20 Russian media, including the state agency RIA Novosti, the Kremlin Russia Today and Sputnik state media abroad, as well as Rossia 1.
This month a group of deputies from the Duma (Lower House) proposed amendments to the law to introduce sanctions against Internet platforms that “discriminate” against Russian media.
The Attorney General’s Office, together with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would decide in advance which Russian media suffers “discrimination” from the US giants.
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Why do Abkhaz Journalists cover Syrian frontline?
ANNA-News or ANNA is a network analytical news agency. First accredited on July 18, 2011, in Abkhazia, its name ANNA stands for Abkhazian Network News Agency. However, after its head office moved to Moscow and registered with Roskomnadzor on September 22, 2017, the word “Abkhazian” was changed to “Analytical.”
The agency publishes news in Russian, specializing in operational news and reporting from hot spots where the geopolitical interests of Russia and the West clash.
The online agency publishes daily reports on the conflict in Syria, including graphic videos of violence. According to Ivan Nechepurenko, a Belarusian investigator, few people have heard of it or know its mission.
Why would an organization in Christian-dominated Abkhazia, a small breakaway region of Georgia, send reporters to cover the brutal fight between a rebel army and the Syrian government forces?
The agency which has a pro-Assad bias was founded by Marat Musin, who teaches trade and economics at the Moscow State University and the Russian State University.
Once they take on Syria, this will spread further to the Caucasus, Nechepurenko stated.
Russia has been a critical player in international efforts to put a stop to the violence in Syria, delivering arms to Assad’s regime and blocking UN resolutions.
