Google blocks RT, Sputnik from Play app store in Europe

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Tuesday that it has blocked mobile apps connected to RT and Sputnik from its Play store, in line with an earlier move to remove the Russian state publishers from its news-related features.

A number of tech companies have limited distribution and advertising tools to Russian news outlets in recent days as the European Commission readies a ban on them out of concern that they are spreading misinformation about the war in Ukraine.

Also Read | Google Play Pass in India FAQ: Here’s everything you need to know

RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anna Belkina said in a statement on Tuesday that technology companies that have cut her outlet’s distribution have not pointed to any evidence that it has reported falsehoods.

Story continues below this ad

Check Out Express Premium

• SY Quraishi: ‘Election Commission has to win the trust of the Opposition’
• For food and fuel, India needs strategic partnerships
• Karur death toll: What leads to stampedes, why India sees so many of them

Click here for more

Sputnik did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple Inc said on Tuesday that RT News and Sputnik News were no longer available for download from its App Store outside Russia.