Google suspends YouTube accounts of Russian Federation Council permanently

Amid the relentless war between Russia and Ukraine, Google took strict action against the YouTube accounts of the Russian Federation Council (Senate) and blocked the channel permanently, with no promise to recover the data. According to the Council, the channel had nearly 20,000 videos and over two lakh subscribers. "The Youtube accounts of the Federation Council and the Vmeste-RF [Together-Russia] TV channel were blocked, and all information was deleted without any possibility for recovery," the council said on Telegram on Monday.

Meanwhile, the American multinational technology company that focuses on search engine technology, clarified that the action has been taken in accordance with the rules regarding export restrictions and the application of sanctions. A Google spokesperson told RIA Novosti that the firm is capitulating with all applicable embargoes and trade adherence regulations. "When the company finds an account violating its terms of service, it may take appropriate action," Google added. On the other hand, Russia said it has already started working on launching other alternatives to the platform.

Google has already blocked RT, other Russian channels 

The council informed that it had already developed domestic platforms with the broadcaster in order to make their content obtainable for users nevertheless of actions by "unfriendly countries". Notably, ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the war against its neighbouring country, Ukraine, Google banned several Russian organisations such as state-owned media outlet RT and other channels from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos. The same was also adopted by Facebook.

Besides, in May, it terminated its contracts with Russia's Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that enable their customers to use Google Global Cache servers for faster loading of data. According to multiple reports, the organisation said those companies which are barred from using google cache services are plunged into the anti-Russian sanctions list, resulting in the cancellation of their contracts.

What is Google Global Cache?

According to the search engine, Google Global Cache allows ISPs to serve certain Google content from within their own networks. This eases congestion within your network and reduces the amount of traffic on your peering and transit links.

GGC features

• Transparent to users: Google transparently serves user requests from caches inside your network.
• Reduced external traffic: Typically between 70-90% of cacheable traffic can be served from GGC. Cache hit rates will vary, based on the unique consumption patterns of end users on each operator's network.
• Robust: GGC provides resilience through multiple levels of redundancy, which are transparent to users. Google ensures that users are always served from the best available data location, even in the event of a temporary outage.
• Easy to set up: Google provides the GGC hardware. Users only need to provide rack space, power, a keyboard & monitor, and a connection to your network. Once you have completed the initial setup, Google takes care of the remote operation of the cache.

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