Google Suspends Ads In Russia


Google said Thursday night that it suspended all ads in Russia after the country’s internet regulator demanded that the company stop showing ads that showed false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Google said it took the rare step to pause its advertising business in the country, including search, YouTube and display marketing. The move comes days after the company suspended advertising of content produced by Russian state media. Google said it already blocks ads about conflict because it doesn’t want people to profit financially from the crisis.

“In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we are pausing Google ads in Russia. The situation is developing rapidly and we will continue to share updates as appropriate,” he said.

early Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported The Russian communications watchdog said Roskomnadzor had requested that Google stop showing online video ads, which it called false political information about Ukraine. He accused YouTube, a unit of Google, of running ad campaigns to misinform Russians about current events.

Google has taken a cautious approach to the Russian government throughout the crisis, as it has more than 100 employees in the country. In the past, the Russian government has threatened to prosecute individual employees of companies that violate the country’s rules.

Russia’s demands from Google are the latest example of how the internet platforms of the world’s biggest tech companies have become battlegrounds over how information is shared during conflict.

In addition to the suspension of ads in Russia, Google has banned RT, Sputnik and other Russian state-sponsored media from YouTube in Europe. It also said it would no longer allow content from Russian state media to appear on Google News.

At the request of the Ukrainian government, Google said it would also restrict access to RT and other Russian YouTube channels in Ukraine.



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