Rumble rejects France's demands to censor Russian content

YouTube competitor Rumble is suspending its services in France over the country’s demands to block Russian news sources. 

Rumble, which was founded in 2013 as a YouTube alternative emphasizing free speech as a mandate for the platform, refused to ban pro-Russian content, including RT France and Sputnik

The administration of French President Emmanuel Macron demands that all social media video-sharing platforms censor Russian content, in line with declarations from the European Union. 

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski says that he intends to challenge the French decision in court. 

“The French Government has demanded that Rumble block Russian news sources,” Pavlovski said Wednesday. “Like Elon Musk, I won’t move our goal posts for any foreign government.  Rumble will turn off France entirely (France isn’t material to us) and we will challenge the legality of this demand.”

Pavlovski’s stance is similar to that of Elon Musk’s refusal to block Russian news sources in Ukraine through his Starlink satellite network. Certain governments have demanded that he do so. 

Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European nations have moved to silence any pro-Russian news sources, claiming that the censorship is necessary to curb the spread of disinformation.

Both the European Union and Canada banned RT, which forced the company to shut down its production in the United States. Cable and streaming services have also dropped its programming, and Apple removed its app from the App Store. 

As detailed by the Daily Wire, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged difficulties in preventing French viewers from consuming Russian content. 

“We’re using the informational weapon and Russia was doing it even before by spreading propaganda on social networks, through propaganda channels that we have cut off on our soil but still continue to find channels to broadcast,” Macron stated in an interview with a local French channel. 

Ian Miles Cheong

Contributor

Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/stillgray

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