Big Tech grapples with Russian state media and propaganda

How The Russian war in Ukraine playing for the world on social media, Big Tech platforms are moving to restrict Russian state media from using their platforms to spread propaganda and misinformation.

Google announced on Tuesday that it will block YouTube channels from these outlets in Europe “effective immediately”, but acknowledged that “it will take time for our systems to fully expand”.

Other U.S.-owned technology companies have so far offered more modest changes: limiting the Kremlin’s reach, labeling more of that content to let people know it originated with the Russian government, and cutting off Russian state bodies from advertising revenue that previously obtained.

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The changes are a careful balancing act aimed at stopping the Kremlin from pumping propaganda on social media without angering Russian officials to the point that it prevents its citizens from accessing the platforms during a crucial time of war, Katie said. Harbath, a former public policy. Facebook director.

“They’re trying to walk that very fine line; they’re doing this dance,” said Harbath, who now serves as director of technology and democracy at the International Republican Institute. “We want to face Russia, but we don’t want to be locked up in the country either. How far can we go?”

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Monday that it would restrict access to Russia’s RT and Sputnik services in Europe, following a statement by European Union President Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend. officials are working to ban sites across the EU.

Google on Tuesday followed a European ban on these two YouTube outlets.

Decisions taken regardless of sanctions

The United States has not taken similar action or imposed sanctions on Russian state media, so U.S.-owned technology companies must fight on their own to reduce the Kremlin’s reach.

The results have been mixed.

RT and other Russian state media accounts are still active on Facebook in the US Twitter announced on Monday that after seeing more than 45,000 daily tweets from users sharing Russian state-affiliated media links in recent days, it will add tags to the content of the Kremlin’s websites. . The company also said it would not recommend or direct users to Russian-affiliated websites in its search function.

Over the weekend, the California-based Menlo Park-based company announced that it was banning ads from Russian state media and that it had removed a network of 40 fake accounts, pages and groups posting pro-Russian talk points. The network used fictitious people posing as journalists and experts, but it didn’t have much audience.

Facebook began labeling state-controlled media in 2020.

In the meantime, Microsoft has announced that it will not display content or ads from RT and Sputnik, nor will it include RT applications in its app store. And Google’s YouTube has restricted Russian state media from monetizing the site through ads, even though outlets are still uploading videos every few minutes to the site.

TikTok propaganda

By comparison, the hands-free approach of TikTok, a popular Chinese platform in the U.S. for short and funny videos, has allowed pro-Russian propaganda to thrive in its place. The company did not respond to messages requesting comments.

A recent video posted on RT’s TikTok channel includes a clip of Steve Bannon, a former senior adviser to former President Donald Trump who now presents a podcast with a penchant for misinformation and conspiracy theories.

“Ukraine is not even a country. It’s kind of a concept,” Bannon said in the clip, echoing a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “So when we talk about sovereignty and self-determination, it’s just a corrupt area where the Clintons have become a colony where they can steal money.”

“Important expression at a crucial time”

Facebook’s efforts to limit the reach of Russian state media have already angered Russian officials. Last week, Meta officials said they had rejected Russia’s request to stop verifying the facts or labeling publications made by Russian state media. Kremlin officials responded by restricting access to Facebook.

The company has also denied requests from Ukrainian officials who have asked Meta to withdraw access to its platforms in Russia. The move would prevent regular Russians from using the platforms to learn about the war, express their views, or organize protests, according to Nick Clegg, the company’s newly appointed vice president of global affairs.

“We believe that disabling our services would silence an important expression at a crucial time,” Clegg wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

More aggressive state media labeling and moves to reduce the emphasis on your online content can help reduce the spread of harmful material without cutting off a source of key information, said Alexandra Givens, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a company not located in Washington. benefits.

“These platforms are a way for dissidents to get organized and step back,” Givens said. “The clearest indication of this is that the regime has been trying to shut down access to Facebook and Twitter.”

Extensive propaganda apparatus

Russia has been creating its extensive propaganda apparatus for years, with dozens of sites targeting millions of people in different languages. This preparation is making it difficult for any technology company to respond quickly, said Graham Shellenberger of Miburo Solutions, a company that tracks misinformation and influence campaigns.

“This is a system that has been built for 10 years, especially when it comes to Ukraine,” Shellenberger said. “They’ve created the channels, they’ve created the messengers. And all of a sudden now, we’re starting to take action against that.”

Redfish, a Facebook page labeled as a Russian-controlled media outlet, has garnered a mostly American, liberal-leaning audience of more than 800,000 followers over the years.

In recent days, the page has published anti-US sentiment and has sought to downplay the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “military operation” and devoting several publications to highlighting protests against the war in Russia.

A Facebook post also used a map image to highlight airstrikes in other parts of the world.

“Don’t let the Eurocentrism of the mainstream media dictate your moral support to the victims of war,” the publication said.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia sent letters to Google, Meta, Reddit, Telegram, TikTok, and Twitter urging them to curb these Russian-influenced campaigns on their websites.

“In addition to Russia’s established use of influence operations as a tool for strategic influence, information warfare is an integral part of Russian military doctrine,” Warner wrote.