Key takeaways
- Major tech firms are suspending or restricting operations in Russia in response to the ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
- Apple has halted all product sales in Russia and restricted Apple Pay services, while also removing state media from its App Store.
- Google has ceased monetisation of Russian state-funded media and removed certain apps from its Play Store.
- Tech companies are supporting humanitarian efforts and providing aid for the refugee crisis resulting from the conflict.
- Ukrainian officials have actively urged tech CEOs to withdraw services to increase pressure on the Russian government.
As the Russian aggression of Ukraine continues unabated, tech giants like Apple, Google and Meta have announced suspension or restriction of services in Russia. Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov had reached out to the tech CEOs to cancel their services in Russia to mount pressure on Putin’s government.
Here are major tech companies temporarily withdrawing services in Russia.
Apple
We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence. We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region, said Apple’s official statement.
The tech giant is in communication with the relevant governments on the actions they are taking and has now stopped all its product sales in Russia.
Earlier, Apple had restricted Apple Pay services in Russia and removed state media like RT News and Sputnik News from the App Store outside Russia. As a safety measure, the tech giant has turned off traffic and live incidents features in Apple Maps in Ukraine.
Earlier, Mikhail Fedorov had written to Apple chief Tim Cook: "I appeal to you and I am sure you will not only hear but also do everything possible to protect Ukraine,- to stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to App Store!"
Google has pulled RT News and Sputnik from the Play Store. In an official statement, Google said: "In response to the war in Ukraine, we are pausing Google monetisation of Russian state-funded media across our platforms. We're actively monitoring new developments and will take further steps if necessary."
YouTube is also blocking the Russian state media in Ukraine at the behest of the Ukrainian government. The video streaming platform has already taken down several channels and videos actively involved in spreading propaganda and misinformation.
Oracle and SAP
Oracle has suspended all operations in the Russian Federation."On behalf of Oracle's 150,000 employees around the world and in support of both the elected government of Ukraine and for the people of Ukraine, Oracle Corporation has already suspended all operations in the Russian Federation."
SAP condemned the invasion of Ukraine 'in the strongest possible terms. The company announced it would stop sales of all SAP services and products in Russia.
Intel, AMD, & TSMC
Semiconductor giants Intel and AMD have halted sales to Russia. Additionally, The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co has stopped working with its Russian partners.
Meta
Meta has barred Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platforms. Recently, the company has removed a disinformation network– Russian news sites posing as independent news entities– from its platforms. The network was pushing toxic narrative across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, Twitter.
The Russian government accused Meta of censoring Russian media and said it would limit its citizens' access to the social media platform.
Twitter said it would comply with the European Union's sanctions on Russian state-affiliated media like RT and Sputnik.
The microblogging platform has claimed its taking measures to prevent the spread of misinformation on Russian invasion of Ukraine. To that end, Twitter has started slapping labels to the tweets that contained links from state-sponsored media outlets.
"As people look for credible information on Twitter regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we understand and take our role seriously. Our product should make it easy to understand who's behind the content you see and what their motivations and intentions are," said Yoel Roth, Head of Site Integrity at Twitter.
