from the its-not-legal-to-watch,-only-to-do dept.
Tens of thousands of people on Saturday staged what observers called the country's biggest political protest in years, defying a crackdown to demand free elections for the legislature of the capital, Moscow. Multiple YouTube channels broadcast the event live. Some videos attracted more than 50,000 people according to organisers. In contrast to previous protests, the authorities had approved this rally.
It said Russia would consider a failure by Google to respond to the request as "interference in its sovereign affairs" and "hostile influence (over) and obstruction of democratic elections in Russia".
If the company does not take measures to prevent events from being promoted on its platforms, Russia reserves the right to respond accordingly, Roscomnadzor said in its statement, without giving details.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:15PM (3 children)
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:33PM
Well we keep you around sooooooo yes?
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:09PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:16PM
I have to agree with Putin on this one, this is straight up meddling and escalationism. I'm not saying they are not engaging in their own demoralization of USA with all the Commie shit, but it's up to us to call that out and stop it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:22PM (18 children)
Political Protests are "Illegal Events" ?
Demanding Free Elections is an "Illegal Event" ?
I suppose a same sex commitment ceremony would be an "Illegal Event" ?
Most definitely interfering with its sovereign rights to oppress its people.
I suppose these kinds of illegal events are why Russia is working so hard to "help" the US to be more like Russia.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:42PM (6 children)
Laws are constructs of men, not nature. Slave auctions are only illegal because we have decided them to be. Protests have never been legal under many governments. Demanding free elections is just another form of protest.
If Russia doesn't like the way information flows through the internet (via Google and any of millions of other sources) their option might be to get behind the Great Firewall with China and attempt to control their people that way.
You would think their USSR/Berlin experience would have taught them something, but... maybe not.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:26PM (3 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @01:49AM (1 child)
The same Russia as in TFT(itle) and TFS(ummary).
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:20AM
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday August 16 2019, @02:31PM
The Russia that must authorize Trump to sign the check to purchase Greenland.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday August 14 2019, @12:21AM (1 child)
Well, Russians may "flow information" during the US elections while the US may built a Great Censorship Wall.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday August 14 2019, @11:36AM
We've all been "flowing information" since life forms developed senses.
In human society lies, subterfuge and half-truths are best handled with full disclosure of sources, motivations, etc. Not that we will ever get that entirely, but it's an ideal to strive toward.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:25PM (5 children)
Yes, if they violate local laws. If the US is your country, refer to the clearing out of the WTO protesters in Seattle and the removal of Occupy Wall Street for only two examples.
Remember, what you are hearing in the US about events in Russia is coming through propaganda channels.
(Score: 2, Touché) by khallow on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:01PM (4 children)
Let us note that those threats against Google/YouTube came from the Russian government propaganda channel.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:24PM
It's their country, so?
The CIA, Sorosites, or whoever is behind the global MSM have a knack for picking up on nutcases and publicising their "story", as long as they can construct an angle about the "diabolical Russian state". Take this idiot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Pavlensky [wikipedia.org] . Someone nails their nutsack to Red Square, and the media is like "Oooh. Avant-garde! Putin is repressing him!". They even gave him "asylum" in the West.
A "Russian troll" pointed out that a few months after his arrival, he aimed his art at setting fire to the Bank of France and was as a result oppressed by Macron's regime. Subdued reaction from the MSM of course.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:40PM (2 children)
So your point is what? That they therefore must be exagerated? That they are not real? But that's a good thing isn't it? Or is that a bad thing? IDK.
(Score: 3, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday August 13 2019, @08:12PM
It's khallow, he has a point like an unripe watermelon. Blunt, bitter, with lots of annoying seeds that won't grow.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 16 2019, @12:44AM
Um, yes. The threats are real, because that's the definition of threat, but the pretexts for the threats are not.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by janrinok on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:41PM (1 child)
Except that this protest was approved by the government. It seems that they are complaining about it being shown on YouTube - hence my choice of department.
which is exactly what has been claimed by some in the USA regarding the last presidential election.
(Score: 2) by Username on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:46PM
The problem I have is that the summary says protesters defied a crackdown on protests for free elections. Then later states that russia said it was legal for protesters to attend the protest. So what did russia crackdown on? How was this defying a crackdown when russia allowed the protest?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:09PM (2 children)
The most illegal things on the Internet:
- 8chan
- Julian Assange/ Wikileaks bank accounts
- Venezualan government messages
- Tulsi Gabbard
- Project Dragonfly
Western tech companies censor these things and more, in peacetime, without legal threat, often with political motives or backing.
So why shouldn't the Russian government expect the likes of Google or Cloudfare to ban sites on demand? If the standards modern tech companies set for themselves are so low, if you're the Russian, Chinese, US, Indian, Iranian government, why not expect them to sell out on demand?
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:29PM
Yeah, and that's stupid, too. Maybe it isn't a "legal threat" when some government dude asks you to pull something, but companies know to ask "how high".
Because we don't come over *there* and dictate things we expect them to do?
And that's not even getting into the idiocy of the idea to begin with, of trying to cover up public events in the 21st century, especially once they've gotten online.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday August 14 2019, @12:19AM
We should do a 4chan of something and try to make SN illegal somehow.
Yeah. I went there.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:26PM (4 children)
Reporting on something happening is not the same thing as "promoting" it (or at least it shouldn't be; our news corporations in the U.S. aren't so good at that).
So their grounds to stop people from reporting on it is evidently the Stop Making Us Look Bad By Reporting Facts Act of 1917.
Oh that's fucking rich. Now Russia is complaining *we're* interfering in *their* affairs? Go fuck yourself, Putin.
--
I guess at least this hasn't reached maximum dumbness like certain other groups claiming that Google merely acknowledging the existence of things in search results is an outrage, which is what I was expecting when I started reading the summary.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:27PM
And they have apparently not heard of the Streisand effect. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have even heard of this, except that Putin's goons are now complaining about it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @12:26AM
The US does not "interfere". The US "changes the regime".
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday August 14 2019, @02:06AM (1 child)
Honestly, it was US that started the complaining (large grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:11PM
I don't care who started it. If you're doing the exact same thing, you don't get to complain about it.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:00PM
Even with Russia's experience in poisoning anyone who defies them, I don't think they're equipped to deal with something as toxic as YouTube commentors.