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MOSCOW (Reuters) – YouTube speeds on Russian desktop computers could drop by about 40 percent this week and as much as 70 percent next week, a senior Russian lawmaker close to authorities said on Thursday as part of efforts to convince the video hosting site to restore blocked Russian channels.
Alphabet Inc’s YouTube has come under heavy criticism in Russia for shutting down channels that broadcast Russian state media. Russia has also repeatedly fined Google for failing to remove content that Russia considers illegal or objectionable.
“The ‘demotion’ of YouTube is a necessary step, not against Russian users, but against the administration of a foreign resource that still believes it can violate and ignore our laws with impunity,” Alexander Khinshtein, chairman of the information policy committee of the lower house of the Russian State Duma, said on Telegram.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
YouTube’s fate in Russia, he said, rests in the company’s hands.
“If resource management agencies don’t change their policies and start complying with our laws, nothing good will happen,” Hinstein wrote.
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