UPCOMING ELECTION
Russia orders Google to stop ‘meddling in election’ as opposition posts on YouTube
Moscow — Russia says it has officially warned US internet giant Google against meddling in next Sunday’s local elections by posting opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s videos calling for mass protests in the country. Representatives of Russia’s electoral commission, the state internet watchdog and the prosecutor-general’s office alleged that Navalny uses Google’s services to disseminate illegal information and warned that Google may be prosecuted if it does not stop this. A Google spokesperson declined to give a specific comment, saying in an e-mailed statement that the company "reviews all valid requests from government institutions". Central election commission member Alexander Klyukin said the commission had sent an official letter to Larry Page, the CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet, regarding Navalny’s use of YouTube. The fierce Kremlin critic has urged Russians to protest on September 9, when several Russian regions and Moscow elect regional and local officials. Navalny i...
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