Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube said the platform remains a source of independent news in Russia, although others are being blocked in Russia. YouTube has already blocked Russian state media channels on its platform, citing misinformation about the war.
YouTube is Used For All Kinds Of Humanitarian Reasons
Ever since the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, several western firms were out of Russia due to various reasons. While some dropped out, citing difficulties in continuing business, some dumped Russia to show their support for Ukraine. YouTube is one among them, where the platform has banned several Russian state media channels that were said to be spreading misinformation about the war situations. And now, the platform’s CEO Susan Wojcicki has shared more information on their stance in the ongoing war. Speaking at the world economic forum, Wojcicki said that YouTube will remain a source of independent news in Russia. Watching that several Russian state media are spreading biased news about the war situation, YouTube had updated its policies to ban them immediately. Wojcicki said, “As soon as the war broke out, we realized this was an incredibly important time for us to get it right with regard to our responsibility.” She further added that YouTube had been used for “all kinds of humanitarian reasons” throughout the war, like educating children who were isolated from schools due to war and helping medical professionals on the war ground. Wojcicki also talked about Russia’s efforts in pushing all its citizens towards the Rutube – a Russian alternative to YouTube that’s running since 2006, but hardly had the popularity of YouTube. Yet, YouTube wasn’t concerned by the emergence of the service, said the CEO.
