Russian invasion in Ukraine has taken a fierce shape, with blood spilling every hour. The world has condemned Moscow, and the countries, including Switzerland that ditched its neutral stand, have imposed stringent sanctions on Russia to discourage it from proceeding with its inhuman actions.
The world is trying to corner Russia with every means possible, teaching it a lesson. Russia is at the losing end, not Ukraine. Russia’s reputation is in ruins, the economy is hurting, and the currency is already bleeding red.
To counter Russia’s efforts to spread its word on war, the U.S. tech giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Netflix and Google, who have global reach, have joined the streak and imposed several restrictions on Russia-backed media outlets.
In line with social media businesses, American media companies have withdrawn films that were set to be distributed in Russia.
Tech Companies:
Netflix’s NO To Russia’s Propaganda Channels!
To begin with, Netflix categorically refused to broadcast any Russian federal channels, which are merely propaganda-running channels, in Russia. With such a decision, Netflix refuses to comply with Russian laws.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” a Netflix spokesman said in a statement.
In December 2021, Russian regulator, Roskomnadzor, added Netflix to its register for audiovisual services because the Subscription Video on Demand platform reached up to 100,000 subscribers.
Therefore, Netflix had to conform to the new law, locally known as the Vitrina TV law, that mandates SVOD to offer 20 “must-carry” free-to-air Russian news, sports and entertainment channels.
These channels include Channel One, NTV and Spa, a channel associated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Channel One is understood to be a mouthpiece of the government. According to the report by Variety, the new law had to be enforced by March 1, 2022.
Hurting Advertisement Revenue Of Russian State-backed Media:
Other than Netflix, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, have also blocked Russia’s state-owned conduits from spreading fake news concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
YouTube has declared that it would no longer broadcast ads on its channels from Russian state-backed media and some other accounts that have been sanctioned as a consequence of Moscow’s war. Similarly, Google will block Russian state media outlets to advertise.
“In response to the war in Ukraine, we are pausing Google monetization of Russian state-funded media across our platforms,” Google said in a statement to CNN Business. “We’re actively monitoring new developments and will take further steps if necessary.”
Youtube, Google’s subsidiary, will temporarily stop monetization of Russian channels—including state-sponsored RT ( Russia Today) on the platform. Further, it will be “significantly limiting” recommendations of such channels, it added.
Meta app Facebook too announced barring Russian state media from running ads or monetizing on its platform.
Today, we’re adding labels to Tweets that share links to Russian state-affiliated media websites and are taking steps to significantly reduce the circulation of this content on Twitter.
We’ll roll out these labels to other state-affiliated media outlets in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/57Dycmn8lx
— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) February 28, 2022
“We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. These changes have already begun rolling out and will continue into the weekend. We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and will keep sharing steps we’re taking to protect people on our platform,” said Nathaniel Gleicher, the head of the social network’s security policy in a series of tweets.
Twitter will begin adding labels to tweets containing links from Russian state-linked media houses. These labels are an orange exclamation sign; warning Twitter users to “stay informed.”
Twitter will also limit the visibility of the Russian state-linked media on the platform, throwing cold water on the intentions of such media houses to reach a wider audience.
Disney, Sony, Warner Bros Suspend Releases In Russia:
On one hand, where the U.S Tech companies are putting restrictions on ads monetization and reach, Media conglomerates like Disney, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros are bracing to dampen the entertainment of Russians.
Disney announced that it has decided to halt theatrical releases in Russia, including the soon-to-be-released Pixar film Turning Red, citing the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis”.
The movie was slated for its release on March, 10 in Russia.
“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” Disney said. “In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance.”
Following Disney’s announcement, Warner Bros too declared its decision not to support Russia’s barbaric move in Ukraine.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
Just after WB and Disney, Sony Pictures also announced to halt all its theatrical releases in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, including Jared Leto-starrer Marvel movie Morbius, which was ready to hit movie theatres on 24 March.
“Given the ongoing military action in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty and humanitarian crisis unfolding in that region, we will be pausing our planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming release of Morbius,” a Sony Pictures spokesperson said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly.”
Besides, Warner Bros movies, which were supposed to release in Russia, include Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on 14 April and the action-adventure animation DC League of Super-Pets on 19 May.