Service policy is the key reason.
The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, in his Telegram channel reported that YouTube download speeds on desktop computers could drop by up to 40% by the end of this week and by 70% by the end of next week.
According to the parliamentarian, the future of YouTube in Russia depends on the actions of the service’s administration. “If it does not change its policy and does not begin to comply with our laws, nothing good awaits it here,” Khinshtein concluded.
He emphasized that the “degradation” of YouTube is not a punishment for Russian users, but a forced step directed against the administration of a foreign resource that continues to ignore Russian legislation.
Khinshtein recalled that Rostelecom has recorded a deterioration in the quality of video uploads to YouTube. The company previously explained this by the fact that Google has not been expanding or updating its equipment in Russia since 2022.
The summer period for “bringing YouTube to its senses” was not chosen by chance. As Khinshtein noted, many are now on vacation and using mobile devices, so the “degradation” of the service will not affect them. But the administration of the resource will see that the state has moved from words to deeds.
The question remains open: are the authorities ready to go all the way if YouTube does not change its position? And what will be the consequences of this confrontation for Russian users? Let us recall that at the moment the number of YouTube viewers in Russia is about 100 million. We must be prepared for the fact that the planned slowdown of the service will be really noticeable.
