Facebook and YouTube block ad dollars from Russian state media

Meta and Alphabet have prohibited ads from Russian state media. Meta said it is also demonetising the accounts of Russian state media and will continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. As of 27 February, Meta has also restricted access to several accounts in Ukraine, including those belonging to some Russian state media organisations. It is also reviewing other government requests to restrict Russian state-controlled media.

Meta explained in a blog post that ads and posts from state-controlled media outlets on Facebook and Instagram are labelled prominently. These labels are also applied to Instagram profiles, the "About this Account" section of Instagram accounts, the Page Transparency section of Facebook Pages, and in Meta's Ads Library. The tech giant also refused an order from the Russian authorities to stop the independent fact-checking and labelling of content posted on Facebook by four Russian state media organisations.

VP of global affairs, Nick Clegg, tweeted that ordinary Russians are using its apps to express themselves and organise for action. "We want them to continue to make their voices heard, share what's happening, and organise through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger," he added. According to Meta, state-controlled media, like other publishers, are eligible for fact-checking, and its third-party fact-checking partners can and do rate their content. State-controlled outlets must follow Meta's Community Standards and Advertising Policies. To reduce the spread of misinformation, Meta is also taking steps such as removing content that violates its policies and working with third-party fact-checkers in the region to debunk false claims, expanding its third-party fact-checking capacity in Russian and Ukrainian languages across the region. 

Meanwhile, Alphabet's Google banned RT, a Russian state-owned media outlet, and other channels from monetising their ads on the platform's websites, apps, and YouTube videos. Like Meta, Google is also prohibiting access to RT and other channels in Ukraine, Reuters reported. YouTube added that it was pressing pause on the ability to monetise for a number of channels on YouTube. Among them were several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions, such as those by the European Union. State-controlled media outlets have also been barred from using Google's adtech capabilities to monetise their website and apps.

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from YouTube said, "In light of extraordinary circumstances in Ukraine, we’re taking a number of actions. We’re pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetise on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions. We will be significantly limiting recommendations to these channels. And in response to a government request, we’ve restricted access to RT and a number of other channels in Ukraine. We will continue to monitor new developments and may take further actions." 

At the same time, these media outlets will also be banned from purchasing ads through Google Tools or place ads on search and Gmail, among other Google services Reuters said. Google said it is "actively monitoring new developments" and further steps will be taken if necessary. According to Reuters, Russia raked in approximately US$7 million to US$32 million from ads across 26 YouTube channels that had its backing. This was over two years until December 2018, Reuters said quoting digital researcher Omelas.

Twitter has also jumped into action, blocking access to its services in Russia and pausing ads in Ukraine and Russia to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don't detract from it. 

https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1497353976588689411

Additionally, Internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks said in a blog post that the service has been restricted in Russia from the morning of 26 February. The restrictions are in effect across multiple providers rendering both social media platforms largely unusable. Access to Twitter platforms via Russian Internet providers including Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline, and MegaFon have also been restricted. 

https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1497523148362862593

https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1497941791177416711

These restrictions came after Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, with explosions being heard in multiple cities including the capital Kyiv, according to multiple media outlets including The Wall Street Journal. Russian president Vladimir Putin declared this a "special military operation" meant to "demilitarise and denazify Ukraine", WSJ added. Bombings in Ukraine continued on Friday and Russian forces marched towards Kyiv.

Ukraine's vice PM and minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, has been actively calling on renowned companies on Twitter to restrict their services in Russia. These included Viber, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Netflix, Apple, Tesla, as well as major crypto exchanges. He also thanked Meta for prohibiting access to "Russian propagandists and media outlets".

On 27 February, WSJ reported that Russian and Ukrainian officials prepared to meet for the first talks since the invasion last week. Ukraine has also managed to hold on to Kyiv and pushed back Russian troops in Kharkiv, its second-largest city.

Photo courtesy: 123RF