Russia is threatening Instagram and YouTube over footage of the Kremlin and a Russian oligarch with connections to Donald Trump and Paul Manafort.
Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire oligarch largely responsible for former Trump Campaign Chief Paul Manafort's legal troubles is unhappy with footage of him and his government's main building floating around the Internet.
Both Instagram and YouTube declined comment, because the whole thing is ridiculous. Russia is a notoriously authoritarian state, and President Donald Trump is awfully buddy-buddy with Russian President Vladmir Putin.
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"Deripaska's ties with Manafort date back to 2005, when they reportedly signed a $10 million contract. But things went sour, and Deripaska sued Manafort and his associate Rick Gates earlier this year for $25 million in damages over the failed business dealings," the Huffington Post reported. "Deripaska filed suit following Navalny's investigation, accusing Vashukevich of illegally using private images. The government's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, then gave YouTube and Instagram three days to take the videos down or be investigated. It also demanded that YouTube remove the Navalny clip."
Russian state media is behind the call for the ban. "Russia's state-controlled media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, on Saturday ordered that 14 Instagram posts and seven YouTube videos be deleted that show metals magnate Oleg Deripaska on a yacht with a Russian deputy prime minister, Sergey Prikhodko, and a woman described as an escort," The 1 2 2 reported.
This isn't how privacy works, slick. Welcome to the Internet.
"Under threat of being blocked, Russia's federal censor is giving YouTube and Instagram until February 14th to remove 14 posts and seven videos showing oligarch Oleg Deripaska, Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko, and a woman named Anastasia Vashukevich," Anabelle tweeted.
Russia may be successful in banning Instagram and YouTube in Russia, but the rest of the world will know what's up.
