Google deactivates Russian AdSense accounts

Alphabet's Google is deactivating AdSense accounts in Russia, saying on Monday that it would no longer be able to make payments to users of its advertising service in the country.

AdSense allows website and content owners, including on YouTube, to make money from the placement of advertisements managed by Google.

"Due to ongoing developments in Russia, we will no longer be able to make payments to Russia-based AdSense accounts that have been able to continue monetising traffic outside of Russia," a Google spokesperson said. "As a result, we will be deactivating these accounts effective August 2024."

It earlier sent a message, seen by Reuters, to the remaining accounts to notify them of the move.

"Your July earnings will be disbursed around 21–26 of August, assuming you have no active payment holds and meet the minimum payment thresholds," the message said.

Google did not specify which developments had led to the decision, but slower speeds have been noted on its YouTube video hosting platform in Russia in recent weeks.

Russian lawmakers blame the slowdown on Google's failure to upgrade its equipment in the country since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, something the company and technology experts dispute.

Google has been under pressure in Russia for several years, particularly for not taking down content Moscow considers illegal. Until now, YouTube has remained a bastion of online freedom of expression as Russia has suppressed Russian-language independent media.

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The US company stopped serving ads to users in Russia in March 2022 and paused monetisation of content that exploited, dismissed or condoned Russia's war in Ukraine. It has blocked more than 1,000 YouTube channels, including state-sponsored news, and over 5.5 million videos.

Lawmaker Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of Russia's parliamentary committee on information policy, accused Google of supporting the division of the online space into "us" and "them".

"Google has continued to segregate citizens according to nationality, completely closing off the possibly of monetisation for Russians," Gorelkin said on Telegram.

Russia passed a law in March banning any advertising on publications, including YouTube channels, by "foreign agents", a designation authorities have given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and media.