Caught between a rock and a hard place over the invasion of Ukraine, US tech giants are scrambling to choose a side, between calls to oppose Moscow’s war and possible Kremlin retaliation .
Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have considerable power because of their global reach and ubiquity, but these private groups are also profit-seeking businesses that a too vocal stance could undermine.
Since Moscow attacked its neighbor this week, the beleaguered nation has urged such groups, from Apple to Google to Netflix, to sever their ties with Russia. At the same time, Facebook has had its service limited for refusing to comply with Kremlin demands.
Twitter, which has been fined and whose service has been slowed down after orders from Moscow to remove certain content, announced on Saturday that its network was “restricted for certain people in Russia”.
“Western companies have provided an online space for Russians to get information about the atrocities their government is committing in Ukraine,” tweeted Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis.
“The Kremlin is acting aggressively to hide the truth,” she added.
Some groups like Meta or YouTube have taken measured initiatives. YouTube has suspended the ability of Russian state-run media to make money on their platforms.
“We are suspending the ability of a number of channels to monetize on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with the recent sanctions,” a spokesperson told AFP.
YouTube also announced that access to RT (ex-Russia Today) and other Russian channels had been restricted in Ukraine, “at the request of a government”.
“Spreading disinformation”
Ukrainian officials have asked for help from all quarters, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and billionaire Elon Musk, boss of SpaceX, which launches internet satellites.
“I beg you (…) to stop providing Apple services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to the Apple Store!” Ukrainian Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote in a letter posted to Twitter on Friday.
The day before, Tim Cook said he was “deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine” and promised that the company would support local humanitarian efforts.
This same Deputy Prime Minister also arrested Elon Musk on Saturday, asking him to provide Ukraine with Starlink internet stations.
“While you are trying to colonize Mars, Russia is trying to occupy Ukraine! “, he launched to the billionaire. Elon Musk replied on Saturday that a Starlink satellite, launched the day before, was in place and that ground stations were on their way to Ukraine.
Throughout the mounting crisis in Ukraine, big tech names have been criticized for not doing everything in their power to quell dangerous misinformation about the invasion.
“Your platforms continue to be key vectors for malicious actors – including, notably, those affiliated with the Russian government – to not only spread misinformation, but also to profit from it,” US Senator Mark Warner wrote on Friday. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
Mr Warner – who also sent letters to Meta, Reddit, Telegram, TikTok and Twitter – accused YouTube of continuing “to monetize content from high-profile actors… publicly linked to Russian influence campaigns “.
Tech groups have long touted themselves as defenders of free speech and democratic values, but they are also reviled in the West for raking in billions in ad revenue from platforms that can negatively impact users.
The invasion comes at a time when social media leader Facebook lost users for the first time in its history and suffered a historic drop in its stock market value.
But, given the seriousness of the Ukraine invasion, experts are voicing support for a principled stance from the US tech giants.
“American companies are justified in choosing sides in geopolitical disputes, and it should be an easy choice,” tweeted Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook.