Ukraine-Russia War: Here's how social media platforms have responded to the crisis

Russia's forces invaded Ukraine last week and since then the world is witnessing the war unfolding in Ukraine. Russia's invasion has now put military superpowers of the world at odds once again and has also threatened that intervention by any country could lead to one of the biggest conflicts in decades. Amidst the bleak situation in Ukraine, several social media platforms are showing their solidarity to the people of Ukraine and have taken countermeasures to curb Russian activities on social media. 

Social media platforms like Meta, Snapchat, Twitter have announced plans to diminish certain aspects of misuse and misinformation and restrict access to Russian content. Take a look at how major social platforms have responded to Russia-Ukraine crisis. 

1. Meta 

Meta is the parent organization of social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsaap. Meta announced that they would be prohibiting ads from Russian state media, and demonetizing these accounts. It also blocked Russian-state-controlled international television network RT and Sputnik from Facebook, Instagram all over Europe.

In addition, Meta has also launched a special operations centre, staffed by native Russian and Ukrainian speakers, to monitor for harmful content trends and will also add a new warning label when users share war-related images. Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy at Facebook, shared a detailed thread of tweets to explain the provisions taken by the social media platform. 

2. Twitter

The micro-blogging site Twitter is also adding warning labels to Tweets that share links to Russian state-affiliated media websites. It has additionally reduced the circulation of this content by removing it from recommendations and downranking it in the algorithm. Through its Twitter Safety account, the company shared a series of tweets on "how to control account and digital information when using the platform in high-risk areas".

3. Snapchat 

Snapchat has halted all ads running in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine in order to enable a better flow of information within the impacted region. Snap also doesn't accept advertisements from Russian state-owned entities, nor does it display state-affiliated media. In a statement, Snap said,

"We stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian team members and the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and for their freedom. War is a scourge on our collective humanity, and in this case, it is a direct threat to many of our team members and their families. We are praying for their safety and for peace."

Additionally, the company has also pledged over $15 million in aid to support organizations in Ukraine and is also working to help get its staff out of the impacted area. 

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