Russia Slows YouTube to 128 kbps Amid Thousands of Outages

Aug 8, 2024, 10:44 AM

Russian authorities have reportedly informed telecom operators that YouTube speeds will be reduced to 128 kilobytes per second, according to a report by Meduza on August 6. This throttling significantly affects video streaming quality, limiting it to resolutions below 240p. Thousands of YouTube outages have been reported in Russia, amid increasing criticism of the platform by the government. Alexander Khinshtein, head of a parliamentary committee on information policy, had previously warned of a potential 70% reduction in YouTube speeds. YouTube is one of the last social platforms available in Russia, serving as a crucial outlet for freedom of expression.