Russia increasingly isolated from technology greats. In recent days, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have moved and have imposed a crackdown on the presence in their media platforms linked to the Russian state, accused of disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meta will restrict access to Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, accused of being propaganda tools. Microsoft is removing Russia Today from its app store, Netflix will not comply with its obligation to broadcast twenty local channels live in Russia, while Chinese chats TikTok explained that it has limited access to Russian state media on its platform in the EU. Intel and AMD, which produce microprocessors, would have verbally informed the Russian partners that they will adhere to the sanctions decided by the United States. Oracle also fled Russian territory in response to the request of Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykyailo Fedorov. And just yesterday The Starlink terminals promised by Elon Musk reached Ukraine. SpaceX has sent a truck full of the company’s routers to distribute to institutions, organizations and civilians, so they can stay connected to the internet. Instead, Google Maps has begun to remove user-submitted locations within the borders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Officially “out of caution” and to respond to requests from Ukrainian citizens. Airbnb, on the other hand, has announced that it will offer free housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.
No Russia at the Mobile World Congress.
And the Mobile World Congress, the great telephony fair that is taking place in Barcelona these days, said that there will be no Russian pavilion and that it “strongly condemns the invasion of Ukraine”.
Not only the USA.
Swedish music streaming giant Spotify said it closed its offices in Russia and removed Russian state-sponsored content from its service.
What technologies can Putin rely on?
Putin’s digital autarchy is not born these days. VK (Vkontakte) is the Russian Facebook and remains the most popular social network (also because it is in Russian). After the reaction of Meta, TikTok and YouTube, he is left with Telegram, whose Russian CEO Pavel Durov has never taken a position on the invasion. Russia has also initiated a general legislative review of the regulatory framework to have its own internet. For some time it has been developing its own digital sovereignty, on the one hand, as a counter measure to the ban on technological exports from the West; on the other hand, it is thinking of using technology – in particular cryptocurrencies – also to circumvent financial sanctions. It is necessary to achieve centralized management of cyberspace through the introduction of sophisticated general control and massive surveillance systems.