YouTube Not Accessible Across Russia.

While I understand people’s initial reaction to think this is a positive thing, I don’t believe it is. The less free speech and media the Russian people have access to, the more control Putins propaganda machine has.
- Practically all russians have had access to fully uncensored YT just one click away on their smartphones for over a decade (until today).
  That didn't really change anything. Russia's problems lie in the attitude of the overwhelming majority of its people, not in the lack of access to information.
  They make a conscious and fully informed choice to be genocidal imperialists and embrace authoritarianism.
  
  Russia's problems lie in the attitude of the overwhelming majority of its people, not in the lack of access to information.
  They make a conscious and fully informed choice to be genocidal imperialists and embrace authoritarianism.
  "they"?
  what happens to dissidents in Putin's Russia? It's easy to criticize a repressed population when you're not risking anything.
  were all U.S. citizens responsible for the invasion of iraq? In U.S. where you don't disappear for criticising the government and it's choices, what difference did that freedom of speech make for Iraqis?
  Where in the so called "west" do people keep buying from Putin's Russia through cloaked trade?
  while we're on the subject of "genocidal imperialists embracing authoritarianism", who are the greatest sponsors of one of the longest running apartheid regime? Is "the attitude of the overwhelming majority of its people" the cause of this genocidal apartheid?
  nuances! "Overwhelming majority" is just trying to get by. Most people are not power hungry psychopaths. If Putin, Netanyahu and some more of their ilk died today, world would be a better place tomorrow.
  fuck this! it's time to go offline and read a decent book.
  
  I don’t think a grassroots revolution will be taking place anytime soon, but this is aimed at the young people of Russia who are against the war. The old people there love Putin but I suspect they also aren’t watching YouTube.
  
  Not a Russian political expert, but the fact Putin keeps calling it "denazification" and a "special military operation" leads me to believe there's a lot of people who don't support a full blown war.
- Yeah... I suspect it has something to do with controlling info on Ukraine pushing back perhaps.
- Same difference. They won't do anything about it anyway.
- Is this a new development? If so could it be due to the Ukrainian incursion? I thought telegram was more popular there for that stuff
- I have a slightly different take: I think it’s a positive thing because the sooner we destroy YouTube, the sooner YouTube will be destroyed.
  
  Feels like your priorities might be out of order.

damn. how would russians watch unwanted ads now?
- AFAIK they didn't have to watch ads since the sanctions took effect, because Google wasn't allowed to monetize them.
  
  Wow. Can't wait for this empire to sanction itself.
- Prime, Netflix, Hulu, any news website, pornhub, etc...

Russian here. Yes, this is indeed true. They've been throttling the bandwidth for a good while before, even yt music was slow. GoodbyeDPI lets you bypass the blocks for now. Idk what to expect next tbh
- Ого не знал что кто-то из русских здесь есть:)
  
  нас дюжины! дюжины!
- I mean you could still use frontends out there but don't you all start using them at once. I use them too you know.

Putin's fight against reality continues. Who will be the victor?
- Putin is reality.
- I'm going to need some more details. Is reality shirtless on a horse?
  
  Yes, and buff AF
- Putin, of course!

Is this the Russian Government censoring them, or is YouTube just pulling out because the sanctions mean they can't run ads to Russian IPs?
- the biggest ISP in Russia, rostelecom, started throttling youtube by 80% last month and is planning a full blocking. It's a curious choice though... even the hardest most Z people are not happy about it.
  
  It is a double-edged sword, because it would leave them blind to certain news without propaganda. Which could have direct and indirect consequences.
  
  Let's hope this will lead to Putin's support evaporating.
- The government claims it's Google's hardware getting outdated. Google says that's bs.
  I think that it's convenient how they're telling that to us right before throttling YouTube only with certain providers (and seems to be with only certain regions as well).
  
  YouTube was running like garbage for me in Texas earlier today while everything else was fine. Are they having issues in general?

Wasn't Russia throttling YouTube bandwidth before hand to prepare for this? Along with banning cell phones for their soldiers, I guess they're going for complete media blackout and control.
Edit: I guess they announced 70% slowdown a couple weeks ago and just went straight to full shutdown.
- Banning cell phones for soldiers on the front line has become common since the phone transmissions are used as bombing targets.
  However, the blackout of YouTube for the civilian populace is mainly for control purposes, especially as Ukraine is fairly active on YouTube.

this is terrible news for right wing reactionary youtube channels.

Thought it has already banned? Thought they had the same view as Chinese government to limited information so they can better brainwash people in Russia with propaganda.

And I really liked the Russian Youtubers... Nonetheless, it's a different kind of censorship and it might just lead to more propaganda...

Because fuck ‘em, that’s why!

That's what you get. Ukraine doesn't have access to YouTube either thanks to the rolling blackouts. So... I guess cry more? Or if you're Russian and reading this, and you want change for your country: realize you are many, they are few, and the few they have aren't currently as strong as they were before your country illegally invaded Ukraine. It won't be easy but maybe you and your brethren can secure a safer future for your children, those children, and all the children you will never meet, by rising up against your oppressors

Yoooo peertube in russia?????
- Russia has rutube and yandex video ( i think)
  
  They're crap. People will be and are looking for ways to evade restrictions.
  Right now, they're only limiting speed with certain providers in certain locations. There are at least three ways that I know of to avoid it.
  The thing is, I don't know how far they'll take it. Blocking YouTube is a major political risk. Practically, everybody uses it for one reason or another. So, unlike their "special military operation," this (as mercantile as it sounds) will potentially have a bigger impact on everybody's lives. But you really can never be sure with our mafia-in-charge anymore.
  
  Don't forget VK Video

turkey re(?)banned roblox

Hold on! How about Disney?
But seriously, before anyone puts a hole in putins shit basket, can you please ask him how he got the YouTube and Google to stop?
Maybe we could do the same!? We do have Mexico, should we invade Mexico? I'm fine with it, I was born there. I'm sure many others would agree conmigo.
Or maybe it's a secret Mafia connection?

Cant Russians make money from yt due to that Ukraine thing
- Not unless you're making videos from abroad.
  YouTube doesn't serve ads when viewed from Russia anymore, so there is no revenue from this audience. And you can't take money out from within Russia due to sanctions.
  Russian YouTubers are pretty much screwed and have to re-locate. The only other option is earning from product placements.
  
  Oh

I’m going to miss the one Russian I follow. Maybe this will help another alternative platform take its place.

Good.

Why has it been accessible to begin with? $$$
- There hasn’t been any monetization since shortly after the invasion started. If I have to guess, Google was just footing the bills so they don’t lose presence to some local player when it’s all over.
  I’m actually more curious as to who finally pulled the plug, Google, or the Russian government; and why finally now. Article made it seem like the Russian govt wanted to violate net neutrality and slow down YT’s traffic, but makes no mentioning of which party ultimately took the service down.
  
  It's the russian government. There have been rumors that they are planning to shut down YT for good in the last few months.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is straight up State department propaganda.
- lemmy.ml is straight up lemmygrad / hexbear Tankie propaganda.
- While this is somewhat true (state funded, but with some level of independence), your statement doesn't jive with reality.
  I follow RFE/RL in both English and several other languages. Their reporting is far better than many multi-billion dollar private news companies in the West.
  And it's not a minor difference either, the western news companies are not even close.
  
  What an absurd response. This is akin to saying RT isn’t Russian state propaganda.
- I'm sure everything Russia China and NK do WRONG is just *propaganda, too.
  Isn't that right .ml user?
  
  Propaganda is usually truthful or exaggerated truth. It's the framing that is important. Some facts are focused on. Some facts are omitted.
  I acknowledge that Russia, China and the DPRK have made mistakes and even done things that are deeply questionable. But I'm interested in comparing their mistakes or misguided actions to those of the most powerful military empire on earth. The one involved in hundreds of military actions and dozens of coups since its inception. The one with the largest per capita prison population on earth. The one which controls many of the world's financial levers.
  There is a difference in the scale of their mistakes or bad actions. Propaganda distorts that difference of scale. It focuses on the crimes of the "enemies" / "axis of evil" / "rogue states" but doesn't examine context or culpability of the empire. They'll choose one conflict, downplay 9 others, and give a one-sided view of that one conflict.
  That's how propaganda works. Every state produces propaganda. One state produces billions of dollars of propaganda each year.

It's just so strange to read how Americans blame Putin for everything almost the rest of the world (demographically speaking) blames their government for.
- Obvious Russian troll is obvious.
  Come on you can do better than this. You'r not even being entertainingly bad.
  You need to improve or else you will fall out of a window.
  
  Sure, champion, your attention saved my life today. Let me get back to my trolling, spying, forced and commie stuff.