Google’s YouTube said Tuesday that it would block Kremlin-backed media outlets RT and Sputnik from Europe following similar bans by Facebook and TikTok.
“It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action,” Google’s video streaming service said in a statement.
YouTube’s ban — following an announcement from the European Commission that it wanted to remove these Russian media outlets from the EU — would apply within the European Union and the U.K.
The steps from social media companies come as Western leaders put increasing pressure on these tech firms to limit how Moscow can spread its propaganda, mostly via government-controlled media outlets, to an international audience.
Previously, the firms had stopped the likes of RT and Sputnik from earning money from advertising on their YouTube channels, or from buying ads to promote themselves on Facebook.
