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Below: Russia shuts down Instagram, and how TikTok influencers are being harnessed on both sides of the war. First: | Humanitarian groups are feeling the impact of digital ad halts in Russia, Ukraine |  A service for peace in Ukraine is held in a Ukrainian Catholic Church in Berlin on March 13. (Filip Singer/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) | | | In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a slew of prominent tech companies including Google, Apple, Meta and Twitter have severely restricted or altogether stopped digital ads in Russia. Some have gone even further, blocking ads in Ukraine as well, or blocking users from using key monetization tools. Companies cited an array of reasons for the changes, including to help surface organic content that's in the public interest or to comply with legal or political pressures. But their sweeping suspensions are also dealing a blow to humanitarian and civil society groups operating in Russia and Ukraine who rely on digital platforms to help fundraise and spread the word of their efforts, according to digital rights advocates. The dynamic raises questions about the broad scope of the restrictions some businesses have put in place in response to the war, and what unintended consequences they may be causing. The actions come as Western leaders continue to impose onerous sanctions against Russian institutions that have created concern for companies about operating in the region, and as companies face pressure to crack down on Russian war propaganda and disinformation. Russian users have been further cut off from major Internet platforms by their own government, which has blocked or restricted top sites including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But while many tech companies initially focused their restrictions tightly, by putting limits mainly on Russian state media outlets, many have now widened their reach so much that even organizations doing humanitarian work are feeling the impact. | | Sarah Clarke, head of Europe and Central Asia at the U.K.-based digital rights group Article 19, said the suspensions have shuttered a crucial tool that nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations and other civil society groups in the region use to raise funds. "Any of the kind of joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian groups … obviously they can't advertise for any funding or for donations now," she said. Adrian Shahbaz, director of technology and democracy at Freedom House, said the suspensions on ads and monetization in Russia have also hurt civic leaders and journalists, including "many YouTube stars who use their platform to foster civic debate." He added, "A blanket suspension of monetization means they will once again struggle to make a living." Digital rights advocates said companies should be implementing more targeted suspensions, such as those focused narrowly on war propaganda, rather than limiting the ability of users across the region from using some of their services. "It's unsurprising that something this indiscriminate would inflict collateral damage," Shahbaz said. "We would've preferred a more targeted approach that restricts violent disinformation while preserving space for peaceful civic activism." Clarke argued that companies should exempt public interest groups from their advertising and monetization restrictions. "We just need much better carve-outs for independent media, civil society in all of these measures." While companies have at times explained why they have imposed new restrictions, including by explicitly citing concerns about sanctions, it's more often been opaque. "It's an overly broad response and that's partially because we haven't seen enough sanctioned guidance for tech companies from the U.S., and so I think what we need to see is just much clearer guidance" from the U.S. government, Clarke said. A slew of human rights and civil society groups last week penned an open letter to President Biden warning that additional sanctions could further choke off Internet access in Russia, as we reported Thursday. Mariana De Felice, a YouTube spokesperson, said in a statement that Russian creators "can still make money from ads and other monetization products shown to users in countries outside of Russia." Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy said that "reputable organizations whose ads are dedicated to supporting humanitarian aid" can apply for an exemption to their policies, but that it is based on the type of ad content, "not where they serve, meaning they will not serve in Russia or Ukraine." Spokespeople for Meta and Apple did not return requests for comment. | | Nathalie Maréchal, senior policy and partnerships manager at Ranking Digital Rights, argued that even for giant tech platforms, it can be exceedingly difficult to craft and enforce targeted policies in response to a rapidly evolving global conflict. "The more complicated and nuanced you try to make your content rules, the harder they are to enforce. … There's not a way to do it correctly and overnight," she said. And restrictions on paid speech are less of a concern than restrictions on unpaid speech, which organizations in the region can turn to instead amid the restrictions on paid messages, she said. "The remedy to not being able to have paid speech is to use unpaid speech. And I think … not being able to buy ads somewhere is not in the same ballpark human rights-wise," she said. | | |  | Our top tabs | | Russia shuts down Instagram |  The ban shuts down a revenue stream for some Russian influencers. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images) | | | Russian users had to say goodbye to the app by midnight Sunday, Paul Sonne and Mary Ilyushina report. Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor officially banned the app Friday and gave users a 48-hour grace period. The regulator cited Facebook parent Meta's decision to allow calls for violence against Russian invaders on Facebook and Instagram. "On the platform, emotions ran high Sunday among Russians who were about to lose thousands of dollars they received to promote various products, as well as access to millions of followers amassed over the years," Paul and Mary write. Russian authorities previously shut down access to Facebook, a platform that many Kremlin critics used to speak out and organize demonstrations. | TikTok influencers harnessed in different ways in Ukraine war |  The White House's discussion with TikTok influencers highlights how the U.S. government sees the app as a dominant news source. (Brent Lewin/Bloomberg News) | | | The White House briefed dozens of influencers last week, Taylor Lorenz reports. Several of the influencers said they felt more empowered to debunk misinformation and effectively communicate about the war in Ukraine after the Zoom call. Others said the tone of the briefing was too soft and officials dodged questions. On the other side of the war, a Telegram channel tried to recruit high-profile Russian TikTok influencers to boost Kremlin talking points, Vice News's David Gilbert reports. It's not clear who is behind the channel, though they told Gilbert that they are a journalist. The Telegram channel "directs these influencers on what to say, where to capture videos, what hashtags to use, and when exactly to post the video," Gilbert writes. "These campaigns were launched at the beginning of the invasion and have involved a number of the highest-profile influencers on TikTok, some of whom have over a million followers." The administrator of the channel has also given influencers instructions on how to evade TikTok's ban on Russian uploads, Gilbert reports. TikTok didn't respond to Vice News's questions about the pro-Kremlin campaigns. It told the outlet that it has continued to "respond to the war in Ukraine with increased safety and security resources to detect emerging threats and remove harmful misinformation." | Ukraine's military gets access to facial recognition technology, executives say |  The technology could help the Ukrainian military, though it comes with privacy and other risks. (Anna Kudriavtseva/Reuters) | | | Ukraine's Defense Ministry began using facial recognition firm Clearview AI's database of billions of facial images Saturday, Reuters's Paresh Dave and Jeffrey Dastin report. Company executives said other Ukrainian government agencies are expected to use the technology soon. The company's database has more than 2 billion images from Russian social media site VKontakte, potentially allowing Ukrainian officials to quickly identify dead troops and Russian saboteurs. It's not clear how exactly they're using the technology, however. Critics say the technology could harm civilians. The technology is known to sometimes misidentify people and could lead to people being falsely accused of being Russian spies. Facial recognition technology has been cited in at least three wrongful arrests of Black men. "We're going to see well-intentioned technology backfiring and harming the very people it's supposed to help," Surveillance Technology Oversight Project executive director Albert Fox Cahn told Reuters. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on whether they received the technology and how they plan to use it. Critics have claimed Clearview AI ignores people's privacy. The company takes images from social media sites without the consent of the sites or subjects of the photos. Facebook parent Meta and other sites have demanded that the company remove their images from its database. Clearview says the data collection is protected by the First Amendment. | | |  | Rant and rave | | | Twitter has again changed its main timeline, making it harder for mobile users to see chronological feeds. Instead, users are seeing an algorithmically determined timeline by default. Journalist Casey Newton: | | Product and growth strategy consultant Seyi Taylor: | | MSNBC columnist Katelyn Burns: | | |  | Inside the industry | | | |  | Workforce report | | | |  | Trending | | | |  | Daybook | | - The Brookings Institution hosts an event on the future of changes to Section 230 today at 10 a.m.
- Federal Reserve of Richmond senior economist and research adviser Nicholas Trachter and former Justice Department official Gregory Werden speak at an Information Technology & Innovation Foundation event on antitrust Wednesday at 10 a.m.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee's communications and technology panel holds a hearing on 5G and wireless technology on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
- The R Street Institute hosts an antitrust event on Wednesday at noon.
- The Atlantic Council hosts an event on China's role in setting technology standards on Wednesday at noon.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology acting director James K. Olthoff testifies at a House Science Committee hearing on technical standards on Thursday at 10 a.m.
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