Russia's telecommunications regulator - Roskomnadzor, has blocked access to Google News, due to the fake news about the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian government has already blocked several websites and major social media networks.
Russia's government continues to go on the defense.
Russia's New Internet Gets An Update
Roskomnadzor decided to block Google News due to "numerous publications and materials containing unreliable, publicly significant information".
Russian web users can still access basic portions of Google, but cannot filter directly the new.google.com tab.
This ban is just another addition to a long list of websites Russia has blocked to combat The West's media narrative.
Russia has already restricted access to Instagram and Facebook due to the platforms allowing calls for violence against Russians. They also made plans to block YouTube due to content creators issuing threats to Russia and its citizens.
Recently, they blocked BBC main’s news site, as a “retaliatory measure” against media coverage by the West.
Government officials have ordered Russian media to only publish information by official sources.
This is another step in Russia's quest to build a "Sovereign Runet - a state-controlled internet completely separate from the West.
Wrapping Up
Russia's move to block Google News should be a moment of reflection for everyday internet users.
Be mindful of the websites you browse, and make sure the "sources" are valid. It's important to note, that sites like Google and DuckDuckGo will downrank searches they don't like.
So when you're searching for the truth, opt for search engines like Brave Search or Searx to get private, unfiltered results.
Keep your VPN handy any time you open a browser to research.
Apps like Ground News can sort topics by left or right-leaning, so you can determine biases.
The app also has the feature BlindSpot, a section that includes news that the mainstream media likes to ignore.
