How Google removed content at the request of Russia and China: an investigation
Kyiv • UNN
Google has cooperated with authoritarian governments by removing objectionable content at their request. From 2020 to 2024, more than 60% of takedown requests came from Russia, and China managed to get 200+ corruption videos removed.
Google has been cooperating with authoritarian governments, including the Kremlin and the Chinese Communist Party, by removing unwanted content from public platforms. The Guardian writes about this , UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that since 2011, Google has received requests from about 150 countries demanding the removal of information ranging from copyright infringement to political critical materials.
The requesters included democratic states as well as dictatorships, governments under sanctions, and regimes accused of human rights violations, such as the Afghan police under Taliban control.
Russia
Between 2020 and mid-2024, more than 60% of takedown requests came from Russia. The leader is Roskomnadzor, nicknamed Roscoe in Google's internal reports.
At the request of Russian censors, the company removed it:
- Video about corruption among politicians, calling for protests.
- Blogger posts criticizing Russian military history and patriotic holidays.
- Footage of Ukrainian protesters burning the Russian flag.
- Tips for tactical voting from Alexei Navalny in 2021.
Russian officials also tried to hide information about themselves, but Google does not specify whether it has satisfied these requests.
China
Chinese authorities demanded the removal of 412 videos, most of which exposed corruption among top officials. Google removed more than 200 of them. The company also blocked accounts that imitated President Xi Jinping, as the Chinese used such pages to criticize the regime.
Afghanistan and Iran
In 2023, the Afghan police contacted Google 19 times, 180% more than the year before.
After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, they banned any criticism of the government. At the same time, in 2016, Iran requested the removal of four materials due to "bullying," but Google refused.
Experts emphasize that Google has actually gained the power to influence access to information, often without proper control.
The company claims to act in accordance with its policies and always evaluates requests for legitimacy. However, according to Surfshark, out of more than 12,000 requests from the United States since 2011, Google has published details of only 40 cases.
Despite conflicts with the Kremlin, including a fine of 20 decades of rubles for restricting Russian propaganda channels on YouTube, Google continues to receive new requests from Russia.
The days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were telling. Back then, the Russian authorities tried to remove more than 600 links about Xi Jinping from the Internet, including articles in The Economist, NYT, and BBC. Google did not give in.
The increase in the number of takedown requests demonstrates the growing role of the Internet in public life and the difficulties associated with regulating international content
According to the publication, Google declined to comment.
Recall
Google has announced that it will end its cooperation with Russian developers on the Google Play platform on December 26. Russian developers will lose the opportunity to receive income from the sale of applications and subscriptions.
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