The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked outcry and sanctions, but the direct power to shape human destiny in the 21st Century doesn't lie with governments alone. Instead, it lies with technology companies in times of conflict. From social media platforms being used for information warfare to software companies defending customers from state-sponsored cyber attacks, the invasion highlights how critical technology companies are
How Companies Are Responding
Apple
The company has "paused all product sales" in Russia while "Apple Pay and other services have been limited"
In Ukraine, the company has disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps amid concerns that Russia could attack locations where large groups were gathering
Has removed apps for RT and Sputnik from the App Store outside of Russia
Update its Search and Maps services to provide alerts to UN resources for people searching for refugee and asylum information
Block YouTube channels connected to RT
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Meta has been on high alert to identify emerging threats and respond as quickly as possible
It has blocked access to RT and Sputnik across the EU and is globally demoting content from Russian state-controlled media outlets across Facebook and Instagram
Additional account privacy and security protections have been rolled out in Ukraine and are being added to Russia
Netflix has also halted all Russian productions and acquisitions.
Snapchat has also stopped all advertising running in Russia, Ukraine and even Belarus as a result of the conflict. The company said it does not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities and will continue to monitor for disinformation and other misuse.
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