Russia blocks social media platforms in response to actions against state media

Daniel Sims

Daniel Sims

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In context: Throughout this week, social media companies and the tech industry as a whole have taken various actions against Russian state media amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has reportedly started retaliating against them as well, as Western news outlets and app stores.

On Friday, Russian authorities announced they are blocking Facebook in response to the company’s recent actions against Russian state media. Reports indicate Russia has already blocked multiple social media networks, app stores, and Western news networks. This comes following restrictions Russia had already begun at the end of last week.

The head of Der Spiegel tweeted that Russia blocked Facebook, Twitter, BBC, Deutsche Welle, and various app stores. According to numerous reports, Facebook and Twitter are now inaccessible in Russia even through VPNs, but Instagram and the Google Play Store still load (as of writing).

“We are moving swiftly to take new steps to reduce the exposure of Russian state propaganda...” - Brad Smith, Microsoft president and vice chair

Russian authorities are referring to actions from Facebook which started over the weekend, when the social media company blocked state media outlets RT and Sputnik in the European Union. Worldwide, Meta has also started demoting content from Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to Russian state media.

Taking a similar stance, Twitter started attaching warnings to tweets containing links to sites associated with Russian state media. Google blocked RT’s and Sputnik’s YouTube channels in Europe.

TikTok also blocked RT and Sputnik in the EU. Microsoft removed RT news apps from the Windows app store, started demoting RT and Sputnik search results in Bing, and banned advertisements from those outlets on its platforms.

“We are moving swiftly to take new steps to reduce the exposure of Russian state propaganda, as well to ensure our own platforms do not inadvertently fund these operations,” Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith said in a blog post.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/93655-russia-blocks-social-media-platforms-response-actions-against.html

 
The west has become nearly as totalitarian as Russia. Cancel culture (aka fascism) dominates the US and Canada more than it ever did in Europe. Putin wasn't banned from Facebook but a sitting US president was - you could cut the hypocrisy with a knife. The government-media complex has ceded the moral high ground. Unless there is irrefutable proof like actual bombs falling on places, we'll never be able to believe anything they say again, not after three years of COVID lies, election lies, "fiery but peaceful", etc.
 
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Loosing the facebook is not a big problem, but twitter is a huge loss.

Facebook isn't completely blocked actually, the fb app works but seems to be verrrrry slowed down in terms of messaging, pictures and videos. Multimedia objects come as empty placeholders but sometimes suddenly they appear alive.
 
"Russia blocks social media platforms"
---------------------------------------------------
Smart move!

I approve and did the same many years ago
 
Strangely, the Russian Army is not nearly large enough for their present duty AND try to hold on to Ukraine and if it's citizens follow through on their claim they will be like the French Underground Russia is going to be another Afghanistan for them. I don't agree with the gentleman from South Carolina very often but I do agree with his assessment that the only way to end this is for somebody in Russia to shoot that SOB Putin .....
 
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psycros said:
The west has become nearly as totalitarian as Russia. Cancel culture (aka fascism) dominates the US and Canada more than it ever did in Europe. Putin wasn't banned from Facebook but a sitting US president was - you could cut the hypocrisy with a knife. The government-media complex has ceded the moral high ground. Unless there is irrefutable proof like actual bombs falling on places, we'll never be able to believe anything they say again, not after three years of COVID lies, election lies, "fiery but peaceful", etc.
Click to expand...


Sure thing Space Cadet!
 
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They should just disconnect both Russian and China from the internet and be done with it. Let them have their own internal lie machine instead. I can't believe they keep letting thins nonsense continue where both of those communist countries just block whatever information isn't convenient to their dictators. Internet access in every country should be all or nothing: you either let it all through or you get cut off completely, PERIOD.
 
bluetooth fairy said:
Loosing the facebook is not a big problem, but twitter is a huge loss.

Facebook isn't completely blocked actually, the fb app works but seems to be verrrrry slowed down in terms of messaging, pictures and videos. Multimedia objects come as empty placeholders but sometimes suddenly they appear alive.
Click to expand...
Technically they didn't "block" social media per se, they're simply throttling it to the point that it's pretty much unusable.
 
CowsGotMilk said:
Today they give you 15 years in prison if you mention "war" in Russia.



Actually not. In this war, only Russia has to lie to its nation.
Click to expand...

That's not true. Most 'westerners' don't know that the present Ukrainian government killed over 20,000 people in the Eastern Ukraine since 2014. Western media is doing everything possible to hide that fact.

Over the last 20 years, the US has invaded Iraq, Iran, Libya, causing untold thousands of deaths. Where was the western media? Hiding the slaughter.
 
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psycros said:
The west has become nearly as totalitarian as Russia. Cancel culture (aka fascism) dominates the US and Canada more than it ever did in Europe. Putin wasn't banned from Facebook but a sitting US president was - you could cut the hypocrisy with a knife. The government-media complex has ceded the moral high ground. Unless there is irrefutable proof like actual bombs falling on places, we'll never be able to believe anything they say again, not after three years of COVID lies, election lies, "fiery but peaceful", etc.
Click to expand...

True. I would say the West is rapidly morphing into full-blown Communism. The trademark of Communist regimes is the intense repression of opposing points of view, and mindless destruction of traditional culture and values. Exactly what we're seeing in the West.
 
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We're encouraging World War 3, and that's not necessarily nuclear, it could easily be financial. Russia has been accumulating gold. What other country has been accumulating gold? China. What superpower is Russia's allie? China. If we continue escalating sanctions on Russia, do you think Russia is just going to bend the knee? No, they could establish a new monetary system. If Russia and China return to the gold standard the US dollar will go to zero.

Far fetched? No, you're playing with fire.
 
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umbala said:
They should just disconnect both Russian and China from the internet and be done with it. Let them have their own internal lie machine instead. I can't believe they keep letting thins nonsense continue where both of those communist countries just block whatever information isn't convenient to their dictators. Internet access in every country should be all or nothing: you either let it all through or you get cut off completely, PERIOD.
Click to expand...
Russia is capitalist.
 
Dimitriid said:
It's beginning to look on both sides as Berlin Wall 2.0 except this might end up somewhere on Ukraine and be mostly digital and financial.
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Interesting, send like both of those walls were created by same nation.
 
Tantor said:
That's not true. Most 'westerners' don't know that the present Ukrainian government killed over 20,000 people in the Eastern Ukraine since 2014. Western media is doing everything possible to hide that fact.

Over the last 20 years, the US has invaded Iraq, Iran, Libya, causing untold thousands of deaths. Where was the western media? Hiding the slaughter.
Click to expand...
Bullshit. In 2014 after removing Pro Russian President Yanukowych who wanted to become another Lukachenko, russia instigated revolt in East Ukraine. Most of the deaths were made by Russian and Pro Russian forces. Please get your facts straight.
 
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Hexic said:
I'll take Western flawed propaganda to Russian authoritarian propaganda any day. At least with the former I'm able to make decisions for myself without the fear of going missing one afternoon.
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What do you mean by Western flawed propaganda? Western propaganda has the biggest influence in the world hence why everyone thinks of Russia as evil and the West as the good guys yet they've invaded many countries for less and killed thousands.
 
I have to say while I certainly dont support Russia or the invasion, I rather enjoy Big Tech getting a dose of their own censoring medicine.
 
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