Yandex Head Quits After Surprise EU Sanctions

EricG · 17 Mar 2022, 02:37 PM

Plus Firefox removes Yandex and Mail.ru search engines.

Yandex was not sanctioned, just Khudaverdyan. No mention of email service.

Tech giant that previously tread path of compromise with Kremlin comes under Brussels’ fire.

Quote:

Brussels hit Yandex executive director and deputy CEO Tigran Khudaverdyan with an asset freeze and travel ban earlier in the day, citing the firm's role in “hiding information” from the Russian public through the manipulation of search results on its platform.

Throughout this, Yandex has been accused of suppressing independent news sources in its search results and of promoting only state media in its online news portal, which is accessed by tens of millions of Russians every day.

For years Yandex tread a fragile path of compromise in a bid to keep the Kremlin on its side without being coopted or taken over by the Russian state. This has come with allegations of sharing user data with the country’s security services and entering into a complicated ownership structure which gave the Kremlin a veto over the firm’s international activities and deals in sensitive areas such as personal data.

EricG · 17 Mar 2022, 02:40 PM

Russia’s war hits Yandex, the ‘Google of Russia’

Quote:

Yesterday Russian press reported that Yandex — a local giant often called the “Russian Google” — is in negotiations to sell its media division, with Russian social networking giant VK named as a potential buyer.

Sources familiar with the matter confirm to TechCrunch that discussions to sell the division — which includes Yandex News, a news aggregator, and Yandex Zen, a blogging platform linked to a recommender engine — are “in the last stages.” They were unable to confirm a timeline for the potential sale. Yandex declined to comment on the reports.

jdtaylor · 19 Mar 2022, 03:04 AM

I said a week or two ago, I warned this might well happen.

Bamb0 · 24 Mar 2022, 08:37 AM

Isnt it terrible whats going on there??

I dont get it....... They werent doing ANYTHING to Russia,why the full blown attack??

I always thought Mr. Putin was a nice guy all these years.........

19 Mar 2022, 03:04 AM	#3
jdtaylor Master of the @ Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,693	I said a week or two ago, I warned this might well happen.

24 Mar 2022, 08:37 AM	#4
Bamb0 Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,873	Isnt it terrible whats going on there?? I dont get it....... They werent doing ANYTHING to Russia,why the full blown attack?? I always thought Mr. Putin was a nice guy all these years.........