Big tech companies have struggled with how to deal with authoritarian governments. AFP
Washington:
America’s tech giants have come under enormous pressure to choose a party to the Ukraine invasion, while also facing calls to resist Moscow’s internationally condemned war. but was also retaliated against by the Kremlin for protesting.
Services like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have unique strengths because of their global reach and ubiquitous ubiquity, but they are for-profit companies that take a hard-line principled stance. may not be good for business.
Since Moscow hit neighboring Ukraine this week, the besieged country has urged companies from Apple to Google and Netflix to cut ties with Russia, while Facebook has said its services have been limited because refused to comply with the Kremlin’s demands.
Twitter, which faced fines and slower service last year following a government order to remove certain content, reported Saturday that its network “is being restricted to a number of people in Russia”.
“Western companies have provided an online space for Russians to get information about the atrocities their government is committing in Ukraine,” said Alina Polyakova, president and CEO. of the European Center for Policy Analysis tweeted.
She added: “The Kremlin is actively working to conceal the truth.
So far, a few companies have taken measured steps. For example, Meta and Facebook’s parent YouTube have both announced restrictions on the monetization of Russian state media on their platforms.
“We are suspending the monetization of several channels on YouTube, including several Russian channels that have been implicated in recent sanctions,” a company statement said.
“In response to a government request, we have restricted access to RT and some other channels in Ukraine,” it added, referring to the Russian state TV channel.
‘spreading misinformation’
The Ukrainian defiant government, which has called on its people to fight Russian forces, has asked for help from all sides, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“I urge you … to stop providing Apple products and services to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to the Apple Store!” Ukraine’s digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote in a letter he posted to Twitter on Friday.
Cook, tweeting a day earlier, wrote that he was “deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine” and that the company would support local humanitarian efforts.
Big tech companies have struggled with how to deal with authoritarian governments, including Russia, where Google and Apple complied with a government order last year to remove a rival app and stumble must anger.
As the crisis in Ukraine escalates, tech companies are accused of not doing all they can to prevent dangerous misinformation related to the invasion.
US Senator Mark Warner writes to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google. Alphabet parent, on Friday.
Warner, who has also sent letters to Meta, Reddit, Telegram, TikTok, and Twitter, went on to accuse YouTube of continuing to “monetize the content of prominent influential actors … that are publicly connected with other actors.” Russian influence campaign.”
Tech companies have long hailed themselves as defenders of free speech and democratic values, but have also been criticized for raking in billions of dollars in advertising revenue on the platforms. may cause harmful effects to the user.
The invasion comes at a time when the dominant social media platform, Facebook, has been hit by a historic drop in value due to worries about a combination of factors such as slowing growth and pressure. up its main advertising business.
But experts call for a principled stance, especially in the case of being transported by the weight of the Ukraine invasion.
Alex Stamos, Facebook’s former chief security officer, tweeted Friday: “It is appropriate for American companies to choose sides in geopolitical conflicts and this would be an easy call.
Another former Facebook employee, Brian Fishman, echoed that sentiment in a tweet: “Don’t let the worst of humanity use your tool.”
