WAR AND THE INTERNET

Google blocks RT, other Russian channels from earning ad dollars

YouTube app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration

Paresh Dave
Sat, February 26, 2022
By Paresh Dave

(Reuters) -Alphabet Inc's Google barred on Saturday Russia's state-owned media outlet RT and other channels from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos, similar to a move by Facebook after the invasion of Ukraine.

Citing "extraordinary circumstances," Google's YouTube unit said it was "pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube." These included several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions, such as those by the European Union.

Ad placement is largely controlled by YouTube.

Google added later that it was also barring Russian state-funded media outlets from using its ad technology to generate revenue on their own websites and apps.

In addition, the Russian media will not be able to buy ads through Google Tools or place ads on Google services such as search and Gmail, spokesman Michael Aciman said.

"We’re actively monitoring new developments and will take further steps if necessary," Aciman said.

On Wednesday, the European Union unveiled sanctions on individuals such as Margarita Simonyan, whom it called RT's editor-in-chief and "a central figure" of Russian propaganda.

Videos from affected media will also come up less often in recommendations, YouTube spokesperson Farshad Shadloo said. He added that RT and several other channels would no longer be accessible in Ukraine after a Ukrainian government request.

On Saturday, Ukraine Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Twitter he contacted YouTube "to block the propagandist Russian channels — such as Russia 24, TASS, RIA Novosti."

RT and Simonyan did not respond to requests for comment. YouTube declined to identify the other channels restricted.

For years, lawmakers and some users have urged Google for more action on channels linked to the Russian government, concerned that they spread misinformation and should not profit by it.

Russia received an estimated $7 million to $32 million over the two years to December 2018 from ads across 26 YouTube channels it backed, digital researcher Omelas told Reuters at the time.

YouTube has previously said it did not treat state-funded media channels that comply with its rules differently from others when it comes to sharing ad revenue.

On Friday, Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc barred Russian state media from running ads or generating revenue from ads on its services.

(Reporting by Paresh Dave in Oakland, Calif.; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Clarence Fernandez)

California-based app Premise battles accusations of helping Russian military


Vadim Ghirda

Louise Matsakis
Sat, February 26, 2022

Premise, a San Francisco-based tech company that pays users around the world to share market research and intelligence information with companies and governments, said it suspended its activities in Ukraine on Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after Ukrainian officials accused it of assisting Russia.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine alleged in a Facebook post that enemies were using Premise’s smartphone app to collect data in the western city of Stryi and other parts of the country for the Kremlin.

Premise CEO Maury Blackman said in a statement on Friday that the accusations were “unequivocally false” and that the company does not work for the Russian military or government. “Our company and our team worldwide strongly support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people defending themselves against this illegal act of aggression by Russia,” he said.

Premise did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a separate news release also published on Friday, Blackman said that “the public statement of the Ukraine Defense Ministry that has gotten circulation is incorrect.”

Prior to the Russian invasion, Blackman said Premise and its customers surveyed people in Ukraine and asked them to take pictures in order to “understand citizens’ perceptions.” He said findings from those reports had been published publicly.

But Premise’s recent activities in Ukraine seem to have been different, according to several Twitter users appearing to be located in the country. They shared screenshots they said were from the Premise app offering Ukrainians jobs paying 30 cents for photos of damage caused by explosions and $3.25 for the location of nearby medical facilities. One Twitter user said they could not immediately comment because the area where they were was under attack. A second Twitter user did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NBC News couldn’t determine from the photos which of Premise’s clients may have paid for the tasks. The company has previously said that it doesn’t “reveal the end customer” to its users. The Wall Street Journal reported that Premise was working in Ukraine on behalf of Western democracies that wanted to understand the country’s infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Launched in 2013, Premise is one of a number of research firms that reward people, frequently in developing countries, for completing small piecemeal tasks, such as answering surveys, taking pictures, and reporting the prices of goods in nearby stores. The data helps corporations understand local markets and has also frequently been used to train artificial intelligence systems.

Mary L. Gray, the co-author of “Ghost Work,” a book about the people who work for piecework apps like Premise, said on Twitter that it’s important to consider how they are treated.

“If we want healthy information, we need to care about the work conditions of anyone who could be asked to perform a task mediated by platforms,” she wrote.

In recent years, Premise has begun working with the U.S. military and foreign governments, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal published in June. The company said in its release that it works in more than 125 countries and in 37 languages to find “data for every decision.”

Patreon took down an account run by one of Ukraine's biggest charitable foundations because the organization uses donations to supply equipment for the country's military



Sarah Jackson
Fri, February 25, 2022

Patreon has taken down an account run by a major Ukraine charitable foundation, Come Back Alive.


The foundation's page, savelife.in.ua, said funds raised would go to its "media and veterans divisions."


Patreon says the page violates its policies because Come Back Alive uses funds for equipment for Ukraine's military.

Patreon has suspended a page run by a major Ukraine charitable foundation that helps get equipment to the country's military.

The membership platform said Thursday that it removed the account savelife.in.ua.

Before its suspension, the Patreon page said funds raised through its account will "fund the operations of our media and veteran divisions, visible to 2,500,000 of our Facebook followers."

"The posts and videos created with the help of your donations will show the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans and their return to a peaceful life," it said.

Patreon, however, says it took down the account because the non-governmental organization that runs it, called Come Back Alive, uses contributions to "finance and train military personnel."

"We don't allow Patreon to be used for funding weapons or military activity," Patreon said in a blog post. "It is a violation of our policies, and so we have removed the page."

Ukraine's official website says Come Back Alive is the country's "main charity fund," and Come Back Alive says that a payment made to it is a "charitable donation to Ukrainian military."

The foundation has said it used funds for military vehicles, mobile surveillance systems, tablets with software for artillerymen, and the training of hundreds of snipers and thousands of gunners, according to Patreon. CNBC reports that the NGO uses donations to distribute military equipment like helmets, body armor, and medical kits to Ukrainian soldiers.

The director of Come Back Alive, Taras Chmut, told CNBC that the Patreon page received small donations in recent months, but more than $300,000 poured in after the news broke that Russia had invaded Ukraine.

Patreon says funds remaining in the account will be refunded. The company suggested other organizations for people to donate to instead, including the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Voices of Children, and Revived Soldiers Ukraine.

"We are shocked and heartbroken at the invasion of Ukraine," Patreon said in its blog post. "Like so many around the world, we are watching this tragedy closely and wishing for the safety of the Ukrainian people in harm's way."

Yandex warns Russian users of unreliable information online after Moscow threatens media


 The logo of Russian internet group Yandex is pictured at the company's headquarter in Moscow

Fri, February 25, 2022
By Alexander Marrow and Gleb Stolyarov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian tech giant Yandex has started warning Russian users looking for news about Ukraine on its search engine of unreliable information on the internet, after Moscow threatened Russian media over what they publish.

Authorities on Thursday threatened to block media reports that contain what Moscow described as "false information" regarding its military operation in Ukraine, an offensive that has seen Ukrainian forces battle Russian invaders on three sides and missiles pound the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.


"Some material on the internet may contain inaccurate information. Please be attentive," read a message under the Yandex search bar when looking for the latest news about Ukraine. The message was only displayed to users searching in Russian.

Yandex said the banner message automatically appears on search queries for which there is an abnormal spike in growth or rapid updates in the news.

"The banner is not linked to any demands," Yandex said.

The company said the banner had first appeared on Thursday evening.

Earlier on Thursday, Russia's state communications regulator Roskomnadzor said the amount of unverified and unreliable information appearing online had increased significantly, and reminded editors that they must establish whether information is truthful before it is published.

There was no indication that Roskomnadzor had started blocking reports for Russian users. Earlier this month, the regulator ordered some outlets to remove reports from their websites about corruption allegations aired by jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

"They must use information and data received only from official Russian sources," Roskomnadzor said of reports about Russia's "special operation". Those spreading what it termed "false information" could be fined or have their reports blocked.

'MILITARY CENSORSHIP'

"Roskomnadzor is trying to establish military censorship in Russia," said Tikhon Dzyadko, editor in chief of TV Rain (Dozhd), a media outlet that last year fell victim to a crackdown on media outlets that Russia considers "foreign agents".

The media regulator has also taken umbrage with U.S. firms in recent days, demanding that Meta Platforms stop restricting Russian media including the RIA news agency and the defence ministry's Zvezda TV channel on Facebook.

Roskomnadzor wants Alphabet's Google to remove restrictions blocking the YouTube channel of Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine that Moscow recognised as independent this week.

"In connection with regular blocking by Western internet services, Roskomnadzor urges users to create accounts on Russian resources and to use Russian social networks," the regulator said.

Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Kim Coghill)