Google permanently suspends Russian Federation Council YouTube accounts
Amid the relentless war between Russia and Ukraine, Google has cracked down on Russian Federation Council (Senate) YouTube accounts and blocked the channel permanently, with no promise to recover the data. According to the Council, the channel had nearly 20,000 videos and over two lakh subscribers. “The Youtube accounts of the Council of the Federation and the Vmeste-RF [Together-Russia] TV channels have been blocked and all information has been deleted without any possibility of recovery,” the council said on Telegram on Monday.
Meanwhile, the US multinational technology company which focuses on search engine technology, clarified that the action was taken under rules regarding export restrictions and the application of sanctions. A Google spokesperson told RIA Novosti that the company is capitulating with all applicable embargoes and trade regulations. “When the company discovers that an account violates its terms of service, it can take appropriate action,” Google added. On the other hand, Russia said that it has already started working on launching other alternatives to the platform.
Google has already blocked RT, other Russian channels
The council informed that it had already developed national platforms with the broadcaster in order to make their content accessible to users despite the actions of “hostile countries”. Notably, since Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the war against neighboring Ukraine, Google has banned several Russian organizations such as state media RT and other channels from receiving money for advertisements on their websites, apps and YouTube videos. The same has also been adopted by Facebook.
Additionally, in May it terminated contracts with Russian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that allow their customers to use Google Global Cache servers for faster data loading. According to multiple reports, the organization said companies that are barred from using Google’s caching services are thrust into the anti-Russian sanctions list, resulting in the cancellation of their contracts.
What is Google Global Cache?
According to the search engine, Google Global Cache allows ISPs to serve certain Google content from their own networks. This eases congestion within your network and reduces the amount of traffic on your peering and transit links.
GGC Features
- Transparent to users: Google transparently responds to user requests from caches on your network.
- Reduced external traffic: Typically 70-90% of cacheable traffic can be served from GGC. Cache hit rates vary based on the unique consumption patterns of end users on each carrier’s network.
- Robust: GGC provides resiliency through multiple levels of redundancy, which are transparent to users. Google ensures that users are always served from the best available data location, even in the event of a temporary outage.
- Easy to set up: Google provides GGC hardware. Users only need to provide rack space, power, a keyboard and monitor, and a connection to your network. After you complete the initial setup, Google takes care of the remote cache operation.
