Russia’s recent illegal invasion of Ukraine has shocked the general public on both sides. And while there isn’t much the West can do when it comes to taking action on foreign soil, several big techs and social media companies have joined forces and decided to limit or remove Russia from their services altogether. . ,
Note: This story does not mention any financial sanctions against Russia, but only focuses on social media and large technical sanctions/limitations. This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
Adobe
In a blog post, Adobe Chairman and CEO Shantanu Narain confirmed that the company will stop all new sales of Adobe products and services in Russia. He is also ending Russian government-controlled media access to Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud.
PayPal
PayPal is the latest tech company to suspend services to Russia following the country’s “violent military offensive in Ukraine.” Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a letter from PayPal CEO Dan Shulman confirming the decision to shut down the services entirely.
It’s worth noting that PayPal stopped accepting new Russian users earlier this week, but the new decision goes further and includes PayPal-owned money transfer service Xoom.
Apple
Apple announced on Tuesday, March 1, that it stopped all sales of products through its web store in Russia.
A visit to Apple’s Russian website reveals that all items, including iPhones, iPods, Macs, Apple Watch, AirPods, and accessories, are marked “в настоящее время недоступно,” which translates to “currently unavailable.”
In addition, Apple has disabled live traffic and live event data from Apple Maps in Ukraine to protect the locations of the local population, as well as allowing Russian state-run media outlets RT News and Sputnik News global access to their apps. . . Removed from the store, except for those who came to the store in Russia.
Russians are also currently unable to use Apple Pay as a bank that facilitates transactions in the country: VTB has been hit with harsh economic sanctions.
Reddit initially decided to “quarantine” its r/Russia and r/RussiaPolitics subreddits on Tuesday, March 1, to stop misinformation emerging from threads posted by bad actors. Going to the quarantined subreddit brings up a message that says, “This community contains a lot of information that is not supported by reliable sources.”
These subreddits housed posts defending the invasion, and there were selective reasons to justify it, including discussions of Ukrainian soldiers being Nazis, the Ukrainian population spreading misinformation and current information, among others. The previous war/training drill was using photos as false propaganda.
Since then, Reddit has doubled down on its approach, deciding to completely ban any links leading to Russian state-backed media outlets, including RT and Sputnik, saying it would allow any type of advertising. that “target Russia or originate from any entity, governmental or private, based in Russia” on its platform.
Netflix
Netflix announced on Wednesday, March 2, that it decided to stop all future projects in Russia.
The Los Gatos, California-based streaming service had four Russian originals planned, including a Dasha Zuk-directed crime thriller series that was in the works but has since been shelved.
In addition, Netflix was recently added to Russia’s ‘audiovisual services’ list and was to be subject to new obligations from March 1. One of the new obligations was for Netflix to broadcast 20 Russian federal television stations. Netflix has since responded and said it will not abide by the new rules.
Spotify
The streaming music service closed its Russian office “indefinitely” and removed all content from RT and Sputnik in Europe and other regions. It also banned shows “owned or operated by Russian state media.”
Oracle
The cloud services giant has suspended its operations in Russia “until the conflict is resolved” to stop doing business with the company of Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Microsoft
In a blog post published on Friday, March 4, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith announced that the company would “suspend all new sales” in Russia.
“We are working closely with the governments of the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, and are suspending many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with government sanctions decisions,” Smith wrote. Hey.”
Microsoft specifies that its decision will only affect “new sales”. It is currently unclear what this might mean for current users of Windows, Office, Microsoft 365, Azure, and Xbox in Russia.
EA Sports
EA, arguably one of the biggest game developers and publishers, announced that it will be removing all Russian clubs and international teams from its FIFA and NHL titles.
The company announced its decision in tweets posted simultaneously on its FIFA and NHL accounts:
Before EA’s move, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) decided to exclude Russian international and club teams from games. from the real world.
Additionally, EA will cease operations in Russia and will stop selling its games and content, including virtual currency packs, in Russia and its ally Belarus. “Our games and content will no longer be available for purchase on Origin or EA Apps in our stores in the Russian region, including in-game stores. We are also working with our platform partners to bring our titles from their stores and prevent the sale of new game content in this region,” the EA statement read.
Google and Youtube
Google condemns the unjust violence in Ukraine, and as a result, the Mountain View, California-based company has disabled the live traffic layer, as well as information on how busy its restaurants and stores are thanks to Google Maps. The move should prevent the Russian military from reconnaissance of concentrations of the Ukrainian population and those who are trying to leave the country but find themselves with prolonged restrictions on location and navigation service.
Also, on Friday, March 4, Google suspended all its advertising sales in Russia. “Under exceptional circumstances, we are blocking Google ads in Russia,” the company said in a statement to Reuters. “The situation is rapidly evolving and we will continue to share updates as appropriate.”
This applies to all Google offers, including Google Display Ads, Google Search, Google News, and YouTube.
Previously, YouTube banned Russian state-backed media outlets such as RT and Sputnik from earning advertising revenue, but the new rule banned channels from running ads altogether.
Facebook and Instagram owned by Meta
In response to the ongoing conflict, Meta has blocked state media accounts such as Russia Today on both Facebook and Instagram in the EU, UK, and Ukraine. While the ban only applies to those three regions, media outlets have been limited globally. This means that state-run accounts are still active and posting your content will be severely devalued and not recommended to anyone.
Additionally, state media outlets can no longer run monetized ads on all meta-owned platforms globally.
In retaliation, the Russian government banned Facebook on Friday, March 4, saying the social media company violated the country’s rules and, in some cases, blocked access to state-backed media. Finished type.
Along with Meta and its subsidiaries, Twitter also removed Russian state media accounts in the European Union and Ukraine, and blocked ads in both Ukraine and Russia to “ensure critical public safety.” The information is advanced. Yes, and the ads are no different.” The Russian government has now banned the use of Twitter in the country.
Snapchat
While Snapchat’s private format helps prevent the spread of misinformation, and it’s Discover and Spotlight sections are pre-activated, the Santa Monica, California-based company said it would eliminate instances of misinformation about Ukraine or Russia on the platform. . If and when it can be found it will be quick.
The company has stopped all advertising in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine and said it will stop selling ads to all Russian and Belarusian entities. “We do not accept income from Russian state entities,” their statement read.
Russia Today, or similar Russian state-backed media outlets, were never allowed to distribute content through Snapchat.
Snapchat is still available to users in Russia.
TIKTOK
TikTok announced on Monday, February 28, that it has geo-blocked access to Russian state media such as Sputnik on its platform in the European Union. Channels remain available and viewable on TikTok for users outside of the European Union.
Nintendo
On Friday, March 4, Nintendo announced that it has suspended payments through the Russian Nintendo eShop, which means users in Russia will no longer be able to purchase video games, DLC, or download free demos.
Visiting the website currently displays a message in Russian, which roughly translates to “Because the payment service used in Nintendo eShop has suspended processing of payments in rubles in Russia, Nintendo The eShop has been temporarily put in maintenance mode”.
Red cd project
Warsaw, Poland-based CD Projekt Red announced in a tweet on Thursday, March 3, that it had decided to stop sales of its games in Russia and Belarus. The developer says it’s working with its partners to stop all game sales through GOG, as well as suspend all digital sales and stop physical stock deliveries.
“We know that players from Russia and Belarus, who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be affected by this decision,” said a statement from CDProject Red. “With this action, we want to encourage the global community to talk about what is happening in the heart of Europe”.
The home of CDProjekt Red shares its borders with Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Disney
Disney announced on Tuesday, March 1, that it would stop releasing its theatrical films in Russia.
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are suspending the release of films in Russia, including Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolution of the situation.”
Canadian service providers
Several Canadian television service providers, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Access Communication, and ViMedia, have removed state-backed RT channels from their respective lists.
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