Google wins case against Russia – but the real free speech fight may be yet to come

Google wins case against Russia – but the real free speech fight may be yet to come

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg has ruled that Russia violated Google’s rights by pressuring YouTube to remove dissenting content and reinstate a banned broadcaster. On the face of it, the judgement is a cheering defence of free speech and a clear rebuke to authoritarian overreach. But, before you cheer too much, it also hints at a potentially troubling shift in the law that could place more benign governments across the…