Now Russia blocks access to Google News

Another information company has been banned in Russia in what seems to be routine. This is the information service Google News , whose access has been prohibited in Russian territory by Roskomnadzor (the Russian censor body) considering that it presents false content regarding the armed conflict in Ukraine. A statement from state media Interfax explained that the service: “provides access to numerous publications and materials containing public and inauthentic information about the special military operation in Ukraine.”

Although Google is not in the business of creating content, its news service compiles information from thousands of media outlets to present to users around the world. The ban comes just hours after Google’s announcement not to allow the monetization of content that “exploits, ignores, or condones” the war. After receiving reports of the platform malfunctioning in Russia, Google confirmed in a statement that the service had been blocked: “We have confirmed that some people are having difficulty accessing the Google News app and website in Russia and that this It is not due to any technical problem on our side… We have worked hard to keep information services like (Google) News accessible to people in Russia for as long as possible.”

Google News is one more in a long list of media and services that have been banned by the Russian censorship body. They include the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe and the independent Russian site Meduza , as well as social networks like Facebook and Instagram that have been branded extremist .

At the beginning of March, a law was passed that prohibits the publication of content that could discredit the Russian army or refer to the conflict as a war.