01 September 2022, Thursday, 09:25 757

TV Council to be able to regulate online publications, demand their removal from YouTube, Google, Meta, etc.

Editor: Roman Vaniyan

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The National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council will be able to regulate all media in Ukraine in accordance with the first reading of the scandalous law On Media adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.

This is stated in the text of bill 2693-day adopted by the parliament in the first reading on August 30.

According to the current legislation, the National Council carries out regulation — it issued licenses, conducted inspections and imposed sanctions on television and radio companies, that is, media that used a limited radio frequency resource.

In compliance with the first reading of the bill On Media, the National Council will now regulate print media, Internet media, and even providers of audiovisual services (Internet TV and online cinemas) and information sharing platforms (platforms for storing user video content such as YouTube and social networks Meta, Twitter and others).

The regulator will be able to conduct inspections of the media and impose sanctions for violations of the law - mandatory orders, fines and even suspension of activities without a prior court decision. The National Council will also have the right to apply to foreign search engines such as Google to restrict access to information and exclude it from search results.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) considers the adoption of the first reading of the bill "a step back from the standards of freedom of speech."

The bill On Media is not supported by the vast majority of print media.

Some media experts believe that the bill in its current form is an attempt to introduce censorship.

In addition, 34 members of the Ukrainian Parliament representatives of five parliamentary factions and non-faction parliamentarians asked Verkhovna Rada Chairperson Ruslan Stefanchuk to withdraw this bill from consideration at the next plenary session, so that the humanitarian committee consider it once again and eliminate all dangers of "removing mines from the cultural border with Russia."