Posted: Mar 4, 2022 3:20 PM CST
While President Biden and allies are stopping tech from getting into Russia, social media is making it very difficult for Russia’s state-sponsored news to be shared outside of the country.
Facebook’s parent company Meta is limiting information being posted by Russian news sources on Facebook and Instagram. If someone tries to share an article from a Russian state-supported news app, it gets flagged as likely propaganda. Meta labels similar posts on Instagram as well.
YouTube is blocking the major state-supported news agencies in Russia from operating their YouTube channels in some parts of the world. “RT”, or “Russia Today” has many videos on its YouTube channel that you can watch here in the U.S. But across the U.K. and Europe, the channels are blocked or unavailable.
News apps for those Russian state-sponsored media outlets, Sputnik and RT still have their apps in the Google Play Store where you can read stories approved by the Russian government. Apple removed those apps from its App Store, except in Russia.
As far as messaging apps, WhatsApp is the most popular among Russian people with more than 77 million users, while it is still operating as usual in Russia, it is a Meta, or Facebook company and Russian state media is restricted.
Telegram, another messaging app that is based in Russia is not restricting messages. It also offers news channels from RT and Sputnik, so you can read news reports approved or written by the Russian government.
However, again, those get flagged when you try to share over social media.
TikTok and Microsoft are blocking both RT and Sputnik. Netflix and Roku are refusing to carry those Russian channels.
And Apple is no longer selling iPhones, iPads, and other devices in Russia. In response, some Russian citizens are destroying Apple products. This man posted to Twitter a video of him and his son, using a hammer to destroy an iPad, saying “We don’t fear you. We’ll live without your nice pretty things.
Shortly after Apple suspended the sale of Apple products within the Russian borders, used iPhones, iPads, and laptop computers began selling for thousands of dollars by people selling their personal devices.