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Revealed: Google facilitated Russia and China’s censorship requests

An investigation has exposed the tech firm’s cooperation with autocratic regimes to remove unfavourable content

Google has cooperated with autocratic regimes around the world, including the Kremlin in Russia and the Chinese Communist party, to facilitate censorship requests, an Observer investigation can reveal. Other pieces of content that criticised Putin, including the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s tactical-voting recommendations, were temporarily blocked during the September 2021 election period. Days before Vladimir Putin, right, invaded Ukraine, Russia unsuccessfully asked Google to remove 600 domestic links related to the Chinese president Xi Jinping, left.

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