Google’s YouTube announced on Tuesday that it would block Kremlin-backed media outlets RT and Sputnik from Europe following similar bans by Facebook and TikTok, according to Politico.
“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.
The sanctions are expected to prohibit EU operators from publishing any content from the two outlets in any form. The measures would include transmission or distribution via cable, satellite, IPTV, Internet video-sharing platforms or applications, whether new or preinstalled, according to Thierry Breton, the bloc’s internal market commissioner, RFE/RL reports.