The European Union (EU) is seeking to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. So far, technology companies have been at the forefront of imposing sanctions on Russia. Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Roku have all restricted their operations within the country. However, it seems that the EU is seeking more sanctions. According to a Washington Post report, Google has recently uploaded a letter from EU officials to a database of government requests. In this letter, European officials explain they have restricted the operations of RT and Sputnik on the continent. Also, Google should consider similar restrictions for these news agencies. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has previously said that the goal of these sanctions is to prevent the spread of lies and justification of war. So far, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok have complied with the order and restricted access to RT and Sputnik channels. Google has also imposed new restrictions on these news agencies, but only on YouTube and not search pages. In another part of the letter, EU officials say the order applies to “posts made by individuals that reproduce the content of RT and Sputnik.” This means screenshots and links from RT and Sputnik’s articles shared on social media should also be removed.
Russian-affiliated media have no place in the EU
In the letter, EU officials point to the role of search engines in disseminating content. They say that Google will make it easier for people to access Russian news websites by not removing them from search pages. “The activity of search engines plays a decisive role in the overall dissemination of content in that it renders the latter accessible to any internet user making a search on the basis of the content indication or related terms, including to internet users who otherwise would not have found the web page on which that content is published…Consequently, if search engines such as Google did not delist RT and Sputnik, they would facilitate the public’s access to the content of RT and Sputnik, or contribute to such access.” Noted in the letter. Google has not yet officially responded to this issue. Some say that they couldn’t find “Russia Today” links in the Google search page when they searched within the EU. However, in Austria and France, the links are still accessible.
