To say that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine has thrown a new light on the influential role of the world’s tech firms even in times of conflict, would be quite the understatement.
We reported yesterday that Apple has made a series of moves in response to the Russian invasion, including calling a temporary halt to its product sales in Russia, and removing Russian news outlets RT and Sputnik from its App Store. Also in recent days, China’s leading social networks, such as Weibo and Douyin, have reportedly removed certain content on the basis of such violations as “provoking” or making fun of the war.
Google, too, took RT and Sputnik out of its Play Store in all countries in the European Union (EU), as well as in the UK, Ukraine, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
In addition, we’ve seen such steps in recent days as Reddit adding the subreddit r/Russia to its quarantine list – a move that restricts the community from appearing in search results, while marking it with warning messages – as well as rocket company SpaceX using its Starlink system to activate satellite Internet service in Ukraine. The latter action has allowed Ukrainian users to remain online even as Russia has been attacking its websites.
Speaking of events within Ukraine itself, we also reported last week on the Kyiv-based developer MacPaw confirming that it had “launched an emergency plan to ensure the safety of our peers based in Ukraine.”
Now, MacPaw has gone further, its ClearVPN product having now launched a shortcut with information on trusted ways to support Ukraine. Details are included in the shortcut on both military and humanitarian fundraising campaigns, as well as on petition-signing campaigns, activism in support of Ukraine, and reputable media outlets reporting on the crisis in the country. ClearVPN is also available for free to everyone in Ukraine, to help secure their digital safety.
Whatever happens with the crisis from here on in, there can be no question that tech firms have already played a major part in supporting efforts to defend Ukraine from the very worst effects of the Russian aggression.