As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its ninth day, the Kremlin reportedly decided to restrict access to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in the country. Several media outlets reported that social media giants Twitter and Facebook, as well as a number of news organisations, had been blocked in the country.
“Russia blocks Twitter, Facebook, BBC, Deutsche Welle, and App Stores,” tweeted Mathieu von Rohr, a Der Spiegel reporter. Meduza, a Latvian news site, also claimed that many readers in Moscow were unable to access the publication’s website.
Meanwhile, major technology platforms are taking steps to prevent Russian state media from using their platforms to spread propaganda and misinformation. Following the European Union’s president’s call for a ban on Russian state media, a slew of technology companies removed the channels from their platforms.
Google announced earlier this week that it is blocking those outlets’ YouTube channels in Europe “immediately,” but acknowledged that “it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up.”
A company spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that Russia’s RT and Sputnik accounts had been disabled in Europe on China’s TikTok, a video-sharing platform. The actions followed Meta’s announcement that the state media would be barred from its platforms, Instagram and Facebook.
So far, tech companies have offered more modest changes in other parts of the world, such as limiting the Kremlin’s reach, labelling more of this content so that people know it originated with the Russian government, and depriving Russian state organs of any ad revenue they were previously earning.
