Between January and June 2023, the Yandex Music platform removed a substantial number of items at the request of state authorities. Specifically, 3,246 pieces of content were taken down in the first half of the year due to official directives. In the subsequent quarter, the service reported the deletion of an additional 1,087 items. This information comes from Yandex Music’s first transparency report, which outlines how government requests influence the catalog and user experience on the platform.
The report highlights the primary grounds for such removals. A large portion of the content was deleted because it disseminated misinformation about the SVO or portrayed actions taken by state authorities and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in a negative or discrediting light. Other materials targeted by these requests included statements or propaganda related to non-traditional sexual content, as well as material portraying or discussing suicide methods. The emphasis appears to be on ensuring that content challenging official narratives or presenting sensitive subjects in a controversial way is curtailed when government bodies deem it inappropriate or harmful to public order.
In total, more than 4,000 items were removed following 275 requests that covered 305 distinct links. The scope of removals was broad, encompassing music tracks, video clips, podcast episodes, and album cover art. Yandex reported that the deleted content constituted 0.0057% of the service’s entire music catalog. While this percentage is small in relative terms, it translates to a meaningful impact on individual tracks and media items that were deemed non-compliant with the guidelines or regulatory expectations in force at the time. The figures underscore how state-mandated moderation can influence the availability of media within a large streaming library.
The transparency report also notes operational actions tied to age labeling. In the third quarter of 2023, Yandex Music marked more than 17,000 music tracks with an 18+ designation. This marking indicates content that is considered suitable only for adult audiences, reflecting the platform’s ongoing efforts to segment content by age-appropriate access and to align with regulatory and platform policies on explicit material. Such labeling helps guide user choices and supports parental control measures, while also clarifying the content categories available within the service’s catalog.
Additional context from the broader ecosystem shows that the company had previously signaled intentions related to user account management. Reports indicate that the Yandex Identity service was set to trigger notifications about the deletion of dormant or old accounts. This step would be part of routine maintenance and compliance practices designed to streamline account activity, reduce potential abuse, and ensure that user data handling aligns with evolving policy requirements. The interplay between account management and content moderation demonstrates a comprehensive approach to governance across Yandex services, aiming to balance user access with regulatory obligations and safety considerations.