Russia threatens to ban Facebook and YouTube

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Russian parliamentarians are one step closer to allowing regulators to block internet platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, if it is determined that these networks have censored Russia's content.

Last week, a Moscow court fined Google because its search engine had not removed content that Russian authorities had strictly banned.

The lower house of the Russian parliament, which adopted the draft law in its third reading, said in a press release that authorities can target platforms if they determine that they are restricting the flow of information based on nationality and language.

In the explanation attached to the draft law, the authors wrote that authorities have received complaints from Russian media this year that their accounts have been censored by "foreign internet platforms Twitter, Facebook and YouTube".

Earlier this year, these American technology giants introduced labels for state media.

The laws now need to be approved by the council of the Upper House of the Russian Federation before Putin signs them, steps considered formalities.

In recent years, the Kremlin has intensified efforts to control the Russian segment of the internet under the guise of fighting online extremism.

The lawsuits demand that the court order the social network Facebook to inform the competent state services about any future acquisition exceeding 10 million dollars.

In February, a Moscow court fined Twitter and Facebook for ignoring a Russian law requiring them to store the user data of Russian citizens within the country.