Facebook is blocking Russian state media from advertising and monetizing content on the platform during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
On Twitter Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook's security policy, said the following:
1 / We are now prohibiting Russian state media from running ads or monetizing on our platform anywhere in the world. We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. These changes have already started rolling out and will continue into the weekend.
— Nathaniel Gleicher (@ngleicher) February 26, 2022
We now ban Russian state media from posting ads or monetizing on our platform anywhere in the world. We also continue to apply labels to other Russian state media. These changes have already been implemented and will continue over the weekend.
Since 2020 Facebook has set up a Special Operations Center to help the network monitor and respond to the development of the conflict. It has also launched a “one-click tool” in Ukraine that allows users to block your own profiles, preventing anyone but friends from viewing their posts, photos and stories: Facebook launched the same feature during the crisis in Afghanistan last August.
Russia has already partially blocked access to Facebook in the country, with the Russian government saying the platform has "restricted" four accounts associated with Russian media. The country's technology and communications regulator has ordered the social network to stop fact-checking and labeling of state media content, but Facebook refused to comply. Gleicher added:
We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and will continue to share the measures we are taking to protect people on our platform.
Twitter is also temporarily blocking advertisements in Ukraine and Russia to ensure the visibility of public safety information, as stated by the same company via a Tweet:
We’re temporarily pausing advertisements in Ukraine and Russia to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) February 25, 2022
We are temporarily suspending advertising in Ukraine and Russia to ensure critical public safety information is high and advertisements do not take it away
In the thread, the platform outlines several measures it is taking to protect users. This includes suspending some advice on tweets from people who users they are not following, so comand search requests.
The social network also claims that it is "proactively examining tweets to detect manipulation of the platform" and is taking "law enforcement actions" against them. Twitter is monitoring the accounts of journalists, government officials, activists and other high-profile accounts to prevent even "targeted takeovers or manipulations".
The Russia he also blocked Twitter in the country, potentially as an attempt to stifle information relating to the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Twitter spokesperson Katie Rosborough, in an emailed statement to The Verge, said the following:
We continue to monitor the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and our goal remains to protect the security and integrity of the Twitter conversation, ”he said.“ As part of this work, we have temporarily suspended advertising in Ukraine and Russia to maintain the focus on people receiving critical information. We remain vigilant and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Meanwhile, Instagram and Facebook have started through various reports to identify propaganda profiles, as also specified by the company that manages these social networks:
Facebook flagged this publisher because it believes it may be wholly or partially under the editorial control of a state. This is established based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, funding, structure and journalistic standards.
