According to Reuters, YouTube is preventing state-owned Russian media outlets from advertising and generating money on the platform. YouTube told Reuters that it is “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, including numerous Russian channels associated with recent sanctions,” as Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine.
Farshad Shadloo, a representative for YouTube, told Reuters that the company will offer Russian state-run media to consumers less frequently. Several of these channels, including RT, will also be prohibited in Ukraine as a result of “a government request,” possibly in reaction to Ukraine’s digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s request that YouTube block Russian propaganda. In 2018, YouTube began marking content uploaded by state-run networks.
While YouTube has stated that it would prohibit RT from running advertisements, it is unclear which other channels have been temporarily demonetized. As Politico’s chief technology journalist Mark Scott notes on Twitter, certain state-sponsored stations appear to continue to run advertisements.
Facebook, which is owned by Meta, has already taken steps to pause advertisements from state-backed Russian media on its platform, while Twitter has suspended all advertising in Ukraine and Russia to assist maintain the display of public safety information. Since then, Russia has imposed restrictions on access to Facebook and Twitter. Although Russia has not yet stopped YouTube, it has threatened to do so in response to the September deletion of two RT channels.
