Analysis: Big Tech’s battle against disinformation
As the horrifying war on the ground in Ukraine drags on, the disinformation campaign waged by the Kremlin is under attack from all sides.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, announced this week that Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik will have their access to Facebook and Instagram restricted in the European Union. The two Kremlin-backed media organisations have been zealous echo chambers for Putin’s lies since the beginning of this war.
Google has also blocked the Youtube channels of RT and Sputnik across Europe and the UK. RT has a huge following on Youtube, so this move is likely to be effective, although it is far from blocking RT from other parts of the globe.
Twitter said it has permanently suspended more than a dozen accounts to protect the platform from blatant disinformation.
These measures are unprecedented – Big Tech has acted with such a swift and immediate response only to counter Covid-19 disinformation.