European telecoms providers have taken measures to improve the humanitarian situation created by the Ukrainian conflict. Measures include free international calls to Ukraine, the distribution of SIM cards to refugees, and free Wi-Fi in refugee camps.
Operators involved include Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Proximus, Vodafone, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Proximus and Vivacom.
There have been proposals to reduce and even to eliminate roaming costs in Ukraine as well. However, implementation is more difficult as it requires receiving operator’s agreement.
Google has announced that it has removed the Russian state media from its services, including Google News.
In a blog post, Google’s President of Global Affairs Kent Walker explained that ‘in this extraordinary crisis we are taking extraordinary measures to stop the spread of misinformation and disrupt disinformation campaigns online’.
Microsoft disclosed that it detected FoxBlade malware targeting Ukraine’s government ministries and financial institutions on 25 February, hours before Russian operations started. Microsoft notified Ukraine’s top cyber defence authority of the malware. The company also shared the malicious code with European countries upon a request from Anne Neuberger, US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has stated that it will begin demoting Facebook and Instagram posts linking to Russian state media outlets such as RT and Sputnik in order to reduce the frequency with which they appear in news feeds. To provide context to users who do see the posts in their news feeds, Meta will add labels warning of links to Russian-backed media websites.
On 27 February 27, the Ukrainian government asked major cryptocurrency exchanges to freeze all accounts of users in Russia and Belarus. The request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation also asked exchanges to stop trading any ruble-related digital assets. Letters were sent to the addresses of the six largest online exchanges.
So far, cryptocurrency exchanges have declined the request. The world largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, said in a statement that they will not impose any blanket ban on users, pointing out that ‘A unilateral and total ban would punish ordinary Russian citizens.’ Reuters reported today that world’s second-largest exchange, Binance, announced no plans to ban Russian users, and the CEO of Kraken crypto exchange stated the same.
On 28 February, the US Department of Justice amended the regulation on economic sanctions on prominent Russian figures. The DoJ has obliged cryptocurrency exchanges to control digital asset flow and/or report any activity attempting to circumvent sanctions. It will take effect on 1 March.
The US Department of the Treasury issued a regulation which addresses how US businesses should comply with sanctions imposed to top Russian officials and business people. The Treasury warns the US citizens not to be involved in “transactions or dealings to circumvent any United States sanctions, including through the use of digital currencies or assets or the use of physical assets”
According to the article published by Bloomberg, the US Department of the Treasury also asked exchanges around the world to control the flow of digital assets, and comply with the sanctions.
Online cryptocurrency exchanges around the world work under the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) set of financial standards, and the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulation against money laundry and financing of terrorism.
Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor now requires that the social media app TikTok stop showing military-oriented content to minors in their recommendations. Roskomnadzor noted that TikTok posted ‘content featuring the special military operation in Ukraine, as well as related political content targeting an audience of minors’ and expressed worry that this content is mainly anti-Russian and politically related.
Crypto exchange Binance is blocking accounts of Russian clients targeted by sanctions. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked all major crypto exchanges to block the addresses of Russian users on his Twitter account, stating that: ‘It’s crucial to freeze not only the addresses linked to Russian and Belarusian politicians, but also to sabotage ordinary users.’ Nonetheless, there will not be any prohibitions on innocent users, another Binance representative told Reuters.
The Moscow Stock Exchange and Sberbank websites were knocked offline, allegedly by the Ukraine IT Army, that claimed responsibility in a Telegram post. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, responded to the Moscow Stock Exchange event on his Facebook page with: ’The mission has been accomplished! Thank you!’ He also posted that ‘Sberbank fell!’ According to TechCrunch, the Belarus official information policy site was also knocked offline. Forbes reported that the website for Russian security service FSB was targeted as well.
China’s social media giants Weibo and Douyin removed ‘inappropriate’ Ukraine content over the weekend. Chinese social media giant Weibo has taken down over 4,000 posts that were showing any ‘inappropriate’ Ukrainian content. Douyin has removed over 3,500 videos that were vulgar, unfriendly, or trivialised the war. WeChat urged users ‘to keep an objective and rational attitude toward hot-button global issues, be reasonable when participating in discussions, and together preserve a clean and bright cyber environment.’
