Google has blocked Russian users’ ability to register new accounts on the site, according to Russian news agency Interfax, citing statements made during a press briefing by representatives of Russia’s Digital Development Ministry.
The announcement comes after years of rising pressure from Moscow, with Google chastised for failing to remove information blacklisted by the Russian government.
The search engine behemoth was also recently chastised for suspending multiple YouTube channels tied to Russian media and public figures following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The ministry confirms that Google has limited the ability to create new accounts. Telecom operators have also observed a significant decrease in the number of SMS messages sent by the company to Russian users,” Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, officials have accused YouTube and Google of distributing “terrorist” anti-war content, fuelling fears that the video-streaming platform may be completely prohibited.
Google has implemented a new account creation measure as part of a broader set of actions initiated in response to Russia’s escalating geopolitical crisis over its activities towards Ukraine.
According to authorities, telecom carriers in Russia reported a “significant decrease in the number of SMS messages sent by” Google to customers, referring to messages used by the tech corporation to verify new account formation.
The ministry stated that SMS confirmations used in two-factor authentication may be disrupted for customers, but Google has not commented on the recent development.
This means that existing accounts may experience disruptions.
We earlier reported that Russian users of Signal messenger have experienced service outages, according to monitoring websites Downradar and Sboy. rf.
The outage started early on Friday, August 9 and was first brought to attention by the independent news source iStories.
