Vladimir Bondarenko and Irina Kerimova are two Ukrainian journalists who they use Facebook to criticize their country and support Russia’s arguments. Too bad they do not exist: the two profiles were in fact generated with the use of artificial intelligence and are part of the propaganda campaign on social networks that aims to spread the version of Vladimir Putin.
It is probably the most advanced of the many forms of Russian-based disinformation, in what is proving to be a real battle – obviously not comparable to that of the physical world, but with repercussions not to be underestimated – fought in the digital world (and which has also seen the return of Anonymous in a big way as pro-Ukraine).
In addition to having identified the two false profiles of journalists from which we started, Facebook has made some significant decisions on the matter. First of all, despite being actively obstructed in Russia and despite some requests to shut down the service in that country in protest, Facebook has decided to stay active: “Many Russian activists, musicians, creators and influencers are using Facebook and Instagram for to find information and to make their voices heard against the war, we want them to continue to be able to do so, ”he explained Nick Clegg (Meta’s Head of Global Affairs) during the latest press releases on Community Standards. “And we also want people in Russia to be able to hear the voice of President Zelensky and other people in Ukraine.”
At this stage, however, it is also necessary increase security measures and protect communications for those in risk areas. For this reason, Clegg explained, “we have made encrypted chats available on Instagram for all adults in Ukraine and Russia. We will also show notifications at the top of users’ inboxes to let them know they can switch to encrypted communications ”. Obviously, communications are already protected by default on Whatsapp and can also be protected on Messenger by selecting “Secret conversation”.
“We have also created a new operations center in which we brought together experts from our society, including some native Russian and Ukrainian speakers, who are monitoring the platform 24 hours a day, allowing us to react to problems in real time ”, continues the head of Global Affairs. It is not the first time that Facebook has faced emergency or particularly delicate situations. This time, however, the platform quickly made decisions that it once would have been more reluctant to take: “In response to requests from the Ukrainian government and the governments of the European Union we have limited access to RT and Sputnik (two network journalists sponsored by the Kremlin, ed) in Ukraine and the EU ”, continues Clegg. However, one wonders whether it would not have been appropriate to do the same in Russia, to hinder Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine there too.
The same treatment as RT is Sputnik is being reserved for various Facebook and Instagram pages attributable to media outlets controlled by Moscow and for posts containing their links. At the same time, Facebook obviously wanted to emphasize how its platform can be actively used to support the Ukrainian people (according to estimates, 10% of Europeans have a Facebook contact in Ukraine).
In addition to having been raised, through Meta’s social networks, over 15 million dollars in five days, help groups have already been born and are playing a concrete role. In Poland, a group with over 300,000 members organizes the transport of aid to the border and offers hospitality. The same is being done by a Romanian group with over 200,000 members and others scattered across Europe. For better or for worse – between propaganda and concrete aid – once again we are witnessing how social networks now have a crucial role in our society. Also, and perhaps above all, in times of war.