“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused global distress, putting the world’s military superpowers at odds once again and potentially forcing an intervention that could lead to one of the biggest conflicts in decades”, a new article on social media today reports. And unlike similar incidents in times past like USA and USSR war, Taliban and Afghanistan, this battle is playing out in the age of social media, with memes, misinformation campaigns, and scams all adding to the growing turmoil of information, which can confuse, contort and cloud what’s happening in the eastern European region. Given this, now social media is playing a role in disseminating information. The platforms need to do work quickly to limit any misuse of their networks for questionable purposes. Many have already enacted plans and ideas to mitigate some aspects of abuse and misinformation. Here’s a look at what’s been announced thus far from the major social apps.
Meta
Meta listed several safety features for Ukrainian users, including “the possibility for people to hide their Facebook profile, the removal of the ability to search friends lists, and extra tools available on Messenger.” So far, Meta appears to be ahead of major misleading information trends in the dispute, even though the many posts from spammers and scammers looking to capitalize on the crisis for interaction are enormous.
In response to requests from EU officials, Meta has also stated that it will block access to content from Russian state-affiliated media channels RT and Sputnik. Facebook says it is now demoting content from Russian state-controlled media outlets’ Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles. It also adds new labels that will appear when users touch on links.
Meta has also announced that encrypted Instagram chats would be available to all adults in Ukraine and Russia. Instagram has been working on encrypted conversations within IG Direct as part of a larger messaging integration strategy, but this is the first time it’s been made available to consumers.
Also read – ” How do you squeeze in self-care activities during a busy week? “
Following a request from UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, Meta has now blocked Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik for all users in the UK. Dorries has asked for limits on these sources because they propagate ‘harmful misinformation into Britain.’
You tube
Google-owned YouTube has stated that it is restricting access to Russian state-owned media sources for Ukrainian viewers and stopping monetization for many Russian channels at the request of the Ukrainian government. In addition, YouTube is eliminating Russian state-owned channels from recommendations and limiting the reach of their uploads across the network. YouTube announced on March 1st that it is now moving to restrict any channels associated with Russian state-backed media outlets in all European areas. A week and a half later, YouTube said that it is now limiting access to Russian state-funded media globally, expanding on its EU prohibition.
Google ceased selling all advertisements in Russia on March 3rd, including those in search results, ads on YouTube, and ad placements on third-party publishing partners. Google initially prohibited Russian state-funded media from buying or selling advertisements on its platforms. It also cited its sensitive events policy, prohibiting marketing that aims to capitalize on an evolving, delicate issue.
Google’s decision to block all advertisements comes in response to a request from Russia’s communications regulator to stop distributing YouTube commercials with ‘false political material’ regarding Ukraine. Google stated on April 17th that it would match up to $5 million in donations to Ukrainian assistance organizations throughout the month. According to Google, Google.org and Google workers have already pledged more than $25 million in cash and in-kind gifts.
Twitter has imposed a temporary ban on all adverts in Ukraine and Russia “to ensure essential public safety information is elevated and ads do not detract from it” to help ensure the optimal flow of information for users in the affected region. Twitter prohibited political advertisements, including those from state-affiliated media, in 2019; therefore, it is already ahead of the curve. The ban on all ads will help clarify information flow via tweets, and Twitter also notes that it is proactively reviewing Tweets to detect platform manipulation and taking enforcement action against synthetic and manipulated media that presents a false or misleading depiction of what is happening. Twitter announced on the 16th that it will now designate accounts and Tweets that include links to state-affiliated media sources in Ukraine. Twitter claims to have tagged more than 61,000 distinct Tweets disseminating state-affiliated media since the invasion began, resulting in a 30% reduction in the reach of this content.
Tik Tok
TikTok is a crucial platform to watch, with reports that Russian-affiliated groups can use the app to spread “orchestrated disinformation”. Thousands of related videos are fake and uploaded to the platform, which causes significant headaches for TikTok’s moderation teams. The introduction of monetization incentives for popular clips has also provided a new incentive for bad actors to create fake streams and broadcasts in the app to attract viewers. At the same time, reports have also suggested that Ukrainian TikTok users are using the app to communicate Russian troop locations to Ukrainian fighters.
Also read – ” Let’s stop bragging about not getting enough sleep “
TikTok geo-blocked content from Russian state-affiliated media outlets for EU users on February 28th. Those living outside of the EU can still view this information.TikTok announced on March 4th that it would mark content from state-affiliated media in the app as part of a more significant effort to address concerns about misinformation.
Snapchat
Snapchat has halted all advertising running in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to improve information flow within the affected region. It has also paused ad sales to all Russian and Belarusian organizations. Snap also does not accept adverts from Russian state-owned organizations and does not display state-affiliated media in its app.
Snap has also donated over $15 million in humanitarian aid to support groups in the region, and it is attempting to transfer its employees out of the affected area. Looksery, which Snap purchased in 2015 as the foundational platform for its AR Lenses, is based in Ukraine.
As a precautionary measure to protect Ukrainian individuals, Snapchat temporarily disabled the Snap Map’ Heat Map’ feature for Ukraine on March 4th, which shows how many snaps are created in a particular region.
Conclusion
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is being waged on two fronts, one of which is public opinion. As we all know, social media has a significant impact on popular attitudes and beliefs. In the court of public opinion, whoever controls the social media prevails. Violence is a significant concern for the entire world, especially for the Ukrainian people. Our hearts go out to those directly affected by the conflict and their families.
Hopefully, there is still hope for a peaceful ending.
