Silicon Valley Must Pull the Plug on the Kremlin

[Nevilledog]

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Justin Hendrix
@justinhendrix
Silicon Valley Must Pull the Plug on the Kremlin

I argue it is time for Silicon Valley leaders to choose sides, and to suspend Russian official and state media accounts until Russia ceases its wholly illegal attack and withdraws from Ukraine:
https://techpolicy.press/silicon-valley-must-pull-the-plug-on-the-kremlin…
Vladimir Putin explains why “what is happening is a necessary measure” on YouTube via the RT channel, as his forces carry out a wholly illegal invasion of Ukraine, February 24, 2022
11:57 AM · Feb 24, 2022

https://techpolicy.press/silicon-valley-must-pull-the-plug-on-the-kremlin

Imagine it is September, 1939. Germany has invaded Poland on the false premise that Poland has joined with Britain and France in a bid to attack it.

But add a tweak to the timeline- imagine there is a set of major publishers based in the United States who channel Hitler’s propaganda campaign across the globe, including to a substantial American audience. Imagine Hitler has built an incredible capacity to manipulate media, use out of context images and film, create the impression of support by inventing false personas, and to engage in a variety of other tactics that have been observed to advance his aims, taking advantage of the capabilities these publishers provide and their lax enforcement of their own standards. Imagine that every official and government entity loyal to Hitler also has a deal with these publishers, and their own means to easily reach a global audience instantly.

Would you demand those publishers pull the plug on Hitler, or would you defend the German state’s right to some confused notion of “free speech,” even as Hitler sets out to destroy the lives of millions?

That is the situation Google, Facebook, Twitter and other U.S. tech firms are faced with right now, as they host, distribute, amplify and in some cases help monetize Vladimir Putin’s propaganda outlets– including Russian state media that are already registered as foreign agents, as well as the official accounts of Putin’s government and its officials. With military vehicles pushing west across Ukraine, bombs falling on its cities, and blood already shed in its streets, Putin’s propaganda machine continues to advance its message on American social media platforms, part of a wholly illegal, unconscionable attack.

It is time for Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Parag Agrawal and other Silicon Valley leaders to choose sides, and to suspend these accounts until Russia ceases its attack and withdraws from Ukraine. The apps they operate are not fun and games. Their platforms are not an abstract realm of ideas and debate. They are vehicles for the exercise of power. This is war- and the lies and falsehoods that the Russian state media and Putin’s officials will share in the next days across American social media platforms are weapons intended to legitimize the Kremlin’s brutality, divide Ukraine’s allies and diminish any potential opposition.

*snip*

[crickets]

1. It's way, way past time for social media to take more responsibility for their platforms.

Twitter's silly "oopsie, we deleted all of those Ukraine open source intelligence accounts by mistake" idiocy today proves they are quite capable of doing it. Facebook has needed a swift kick for all of their bot farm nonsense for a long, long time. All of these social media companies are capable of targeting and removing the bulk of Putin's propaganda minders. They need to persuaded to do it. Propaganda is a given as a tool of war. Whose side are they on?

Excellent article, and I love that Tech Policy linked to Garry Kasparov:

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Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63
-Recall all ambassadors from Russia. There is no point in talking. The new unified message is "stop or be isolated completely".
-Ban all elements of Putin's global propaganda machine. Turn them off, shut them down, send them home. Stop helping the dictator spread lies & hate.
3/5
10:19 AM · Feb 24, 2022

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Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63
Cannot ignore the political 5th column of Putinists, from the far right & left in EU to the tankies & Trump & his GOP followers in the US. They may have the right to support a brutal dictator's war in order to criticize Biden, but it's disgusting and anti-American. Do not forget.
10:34 AM · Feb 24, 2022