Silicon Valley Tech News Roundup – March 6th
Big Tech boycotts Russia – 03/04
The majority of Big Tech companies are stopping the sales of their products and limiting their service as Russia continues to invade Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Apple announced it is halting the sales of all of its products in Russia. Likewise, the company removed the state-backed Sputnik News and RT News from App Store globally (except for Russia).
On Friday, Google announced it is stopping all advertising in Russia. They also removed the two media outlets from their Play Store. The move comes after Roskomnadzor, the Russian technology regulator, accused YouTube of running advertising campaigns misinforming the public about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Microsoft also stated it would stop sales of their products in Russia and suspend several aspects of their business.
Airbnb suspended all company activities in Russia and Belarus. Likewise, the company offered free temporary housing for 100,000 refugees from Ukraine.
On Saturday, PayPal suspended trading in Russia due to “violent military aggression in Ukraine”, but it will support withdrawals for some time.
The latest decisions by the Big Tech companies are the result of the US imposing sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine fighting a “hybrid” war – 3/5
Ukrainian State Service of Special Communications says it is fighting the world’s first “hybrid” war, as the country is fighting both on the ground and in cyberspace.
Viktor Zhora, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian cyber authority, spoke in an online press conference for the first time since the Russian invasion began. He said: “These two wars [we are fighting] are part of this hybrid war… This is happening for the first time in history and I believe that cyber-war can only be ended with the end of conventional war, and we will do everything we can to bring this moment closer.”
Zhora also said the cyber authority is under a constant barrage of attacks targeting the Ukrainian government and infrastructure networks. Cyber attacks are not a new occurrence, with some dating back to 2015 and several targeting Ukrainian government and financial websites that happened in the weeks leading up to the invasion.
Ukraine also launched the “IT Army of Ukraine” at the beginning of the invasion. It is a volunteer movement that hacks the Russian government, transport, and power networks.
Zhora said: “We call it a cyber-resistance, and we’re doing everything possible to protect our land and our cyber-space. We are trying to protect our networks and to make the aggressor feel uncomfortable with their actions in cyber-space and in Ukrainian land… These cyber-warriors are not targeting civil targets, they are targeting military and government targets.”
Meanwhile, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, is using social media to pressure Big Tech CEOs to boycott Russia and rally hackers to aid the war efforts in cyberspace.
Fedorov uses Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram to get his message across. He said: “Each platform is very important to us now and we are using every opportunity to attract large companies to this horror happening now in Ukraine. We are trying to bring the truth to the Russians and make them protest against the war.”
Facebook blocks Russian advertising – 3/5
In a statement released on Friday, Facebook announced it is stopping all advertisers based in Russia from creating or running ads globally (Russia included). The company is also suspending all ads targeting Russians.
The statement reads: “Due to the difficulties of operating in Russia at this time, ads targeting people in Russia will be paused, and advertisers within Russia will no longer be able to create or run ads anywhere in the world, including within Russia.”
The latest development comes after the technology regulator Roskomnadzor officially banned Facebook in Russia on Friday after throttling access to the platform for a week. Facebook blocked Russian-state media outlets from running ads on the platform and restricted their access in Ukraine and European Union. Likewise, the company refused to stop fact-checking state media outlets.
WhatsApp and Instagram are still available. Based on some reports, Russia also blocked Twitter. But the company claims their service is throttled rather than banned.
Apple shareholders vote for civil rights audit – 3/4
At the annual shareholders meeting held online on Friday, Apple shareholders voted for an independent civil rights audit to pressure the company into transparency.
Proposal number 9 asks the Board of Directors for a Civil Rights Audit. It would analyze and measure “the adverse impact of Apple’s policies and practices on the civil rights of company stakeholders, above and beyond legal and regulatory matters, and to provide recommendations for improving the company’s civil rights impact.” The shareholders also asked Apple to publish the results and recommendations on its website.
Proposal number 10 deals with the non-disclosure agreements. It asks the company to prepare a report about the risks of using non-disclosure agreements in the context of discrimination, harassment, and unlawful acts. Apple added the necessary language to non-disclosure agreements stating NDAs do not prevent employees from talking about “harassment or discrimination.” However, shareholders want the same language added to the employment agreements to provide more legal protection.
