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Here are the big tech companies taking action against Russia

The recent illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia has left the general population on both sides appalled. And while the West can’t do much when it comes to taking action on foreign soil, several big tech and social media companies have joined forces and decided to limit, or completely cut off Russia from their services.

Note: This story doesn’t mention any financial sanctions against Russia, and instead focuses solely on social media and big tech restrictions/limitations. This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Apple

Apple announced on Tuesday, March 1st that it has halted all product sales through its web store in Russia.

Heading to the Russian Apple website shows that all items, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, AirPods and accessories are marked with “в настоящее время недоступно,” which translates to “currently unavailable.”

Further, Apple has disabled live traffic and live incident data from Apple Maps in Ukraine in a bid to safeguard the local population’s locations, in addition to removing Russian state-led news outlets RT News and Sputnik News from its App Store globally, except for those accessing the store in Russia.

Russians are also currently unable to use Apple Pay as the bank that facilitates the transactions in the nation — VTB has been hit with strict economic sanctions.

Reddit

Reddit initially decided to “quarantine” (shadowban) its r/Russia and r/RussiaPolitics subreddits on Tuesday, March 1st in an effort to curb misinformation originating from threads posted by bad actors. Visiting the quarantined subreddit shows a message, stating “This community contains a high volume of information not supported by credible sources.”

Said subreddits were host to posts defending the invasion, and cherry-picking reasons to justify it, including discussions about Ukrainian soldiers being Nazis, the Ukrainian population spreading misinformation and using past war/training drill photos as current and other types of false propaganda.

Since then, Reddit has doubled down on its approach and decided to outright ban any and all links that direct to Russian state-supported media outlets, including RT and Sputnik and said that it will not allow any advertisements that “target Russia or originate from any Russia-based entity, government or private” on its platform.

Netflix

Netflix announced on Wednesday, March 2nd that it has decided to put all future projects it had undertaken in Russia on hold.

The Los Gatos, California-based streaming service had four Russian originals planned, including a Dasha Zhuk-directed crime thriller series that was in the works but has since been put on hold.

Further, Netflix was recently added to Russia’s list of ‘audiovisual services,’ and was due to oblige to new obligations starting March 1st. One of the new obligations was for Netflix to stream 20 Russian federal television stations. Since then, Netflix has responded and said that it won’t comply with the new rules.

Microsoft

In a blog post published on Friday, March 4th, Microsoft president Brad Smith announced that the company will “suspend all new sales” in Russia.

“We are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions,” Smith wrote.

Microsoft specifies that its decision will only affect “new sales.” It’s currently unclear what that could mean for current Windows, Office, Microsoft 365, Azure, and Xbox users in Russia.

EA

EA, undoubtedly one of the biggest game developers and publishers out there announced that it is removing all Russian club and international teams from its FIFA and NHL titles.

The company announced its decision in simultaneous Tweets posted its FIFA and NHL accounts:

The move from EA further’s the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Union of European Football Associations’s (UEFA) decision to kick out Russian international and club teams from real-world sports.

In addition, EA is ceasing all operations in Russia and will stop selling its games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and its ally Belarus. “our games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or the EA app, including through in-game stores. We are also working with our platform partners to remove our titles from their stores and stop the sale of new in-game content in the region,” reads EA’s statement.

Google and YouTube

Google condemns the unjust violence in Ukraine, and as a result, the Mountain View, California-based company has disabled the Live traffic layer, in addition to information on how busy restaurants and stores are from its for Google Maps. The move should deter Russian forces from spotting concentrations of the Ukrainian population, and the ones trying to leave the country but are stuck in long roadblocks on the location and navigation service.

Additionally, on Friday, March 4th Google suspended all of its ad sales in Russia. “In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia,” the company said in a statement given to Reuters. “The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.”

This applies to all of Google’s offerings, including Google Display Advertising, Google Search, Google News and YouTube.

YouTube previously blocked Russian state-backed media outlets like RT and Sputnik from earning ad revenue, but the new rule suspends said channels from running ads completely.

Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram

In response to the ongoing conflict, Meta has blocked state-run media accounts like Russia Today on both Facebook and Instagram in the EU, UK and Ukraine. While the ban only applies to those three regions, the media outlets have been shadowbanned globally. What this means is that the state-run accounts are still live and posting, their content will be severely demoted and not recommended to anyone.

Additionally, state-run media outlets can no longer run earn-through ads on all Meta-owned platforms globally.

As a form of retaliation, the Russian government banned Facebook on Friday, March 4th, stating that the social media company had infringed the country’s rules by limiting, and in some cases, outright abolishing access to state-backed media.

Twitter

Along with Meta and its subsidiaries, Twitter has also taken down Russian state-run media accounts in EU and Ukraine, and paused ads in both Ukraine and Russia “to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it.”

Snapchat

While Snapchat’s private format helps it avoid the spread of misinformation, and its Discover and Spotlight sections are pre-moderated, the Santa Monica, California-based company said that it will be swift to remove instances of misinformation regarding Ukraine or Russia on the platform if and when it finds any.

The company has stopped all advertising in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and says it will stop advertising sales to all Russian and Belarusian entities. “We do not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities,” reads its release.

Russia Today, or similar Russian state-backed media outlets were never allowed to distribute content through Snapchat.

Snapchat is still available to users in Russia.

TikTok

TikTok announced on Monday, February 28th that it has geographically blocked access to Russian-state-run media outlets like Sputnik on its platform in the EU. The channels remain available and visible on TikTok for users outside the EU.

Nintendo

On Friday, March 4th, Nintendo announced that it has suspended payments via the Russian Nintendo eShop, which means users in Russia would no longer be able to purchase video games, DLC, or download free demos.

Visiting the website currently shows a message in Russian, which roughly translates to “Due to the fact that the payment service used in Nintendo eShop has suspended the processing of payments in rubles, Nintendo eShop in Russia is temporarily placed into maintenance mode.”

CDProjekt Red

Warsaw, Poland-based CD Projekt Red announced in a Tweet on Thursday, March 3rd that it has decided to pause selling its games in Russia and Belarus. The developer states that it is working with its partners to suspend all digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries, along with halting its game sales through GOG.

“We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision,” reads CDProjekt Red’s statement. “With this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak bout what is going on in the heart of Europe.”

Poland, home of CDProjekt Red shares its border with Ukraine and Belarus.

Disney

Disney announced on Tuesday, March 1st that it will stop releasing its theatrical films in Russia.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” a Disney spokesperson said in statement given to CNN. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.”

Canadian service providers

Several Canadian TV service providers, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Access Communication and VMedia have pulled the state-backed RT channel from their respective lineups.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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YouTube’s chief business officer raises concerns on Bill C-11

Warsaw, Poland – 10.06.2020: Youtube app on the smartphone. Youtube videos and films. Video streaming. Surrounded by true wireless earbuds. Watching films with Galaxy Buds – TWS.

YouTube’s chief business officer says Bill C-11 is a potential threat to Canadian creativity.

“It’s a net contributor to the country. It’s a lot of self-employment happening by amazing creative entrepreneurs creating other jobs,” Robert Kyncl said at the media production conference, Prime Time 2022, earlier this week.

He said the platform contributed 34,000 jobs and $923 million in economic benefits to Canada in 2020.

The bill, also known as the Online Streaming Act, was introduced earlier this month and focuses on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) governing streaming companies, like YouTube, under the same rules as Canadian broadcasters.

But many are concerned about what the bill would mean for free speech, arguing rules from the broadcast area aren’t a one size fits all solution to regulate streaming on the internet.

As reported by Cartt, Kyncl said 90 percent of content made by Canadians on YouTube is available to viewers around the world, and the bill could undermine this.

“Anything through the bill that would negatively impact that is simply going to hurt the creative community in Canada. And that’s not the intent of the government,” he said. “But sometimes you pass things, and then there’s unintended consequences.”

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Cartt.ca

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YouTube’s chief business officer raises concerns on Bill C-11

Warsaw, Poland – 10.06.2020: Youtube app on the smartphone. Youtube videos and films. Video streaming. Surrounded by true wireless earbuds. Watching films with Galaxy Buds – TWS.

YouTube’s chief business officer says Bill C-11 is a potential threat to Canadian creativity.

“It’s a net contributor to the country. It’s a lot of self-employment happening by amazing creative entrepreneurs creating other jobs,” Robert Kyncl said at the media production conference, Prime Time 2022, earlier this week.

He said the platform contributed 34,000 jobs and $923 million in economic benefits to Canada in 2020.

The bill, also known as the Online Streaming Act, was introduced earlier this month and focuses on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) governing streaming companies, like YouTube, under the same rules as Canadian broadcasters.

But many are concerned about what the bill would mean for free speech, arguing rules from the broadcast area aren’t a one size fits all solution to regulate streaming on the internet.

As reported by Cartt, Kyncl said 90 percent of content made by Canadians on YouTube is available to viewers around the world, and the bill could undermine this.

“Anything through the bill that would negatively impact that is simply going to hurt the creative community in Canada. And that’s not the intent of the government,” he said. “But sometimes you pass things, and then there’s unintended consequences.”

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Cartt.ca

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YouTuber makes Wordle playable on Game Boy

If the once-daily limit on Wordle is too restrictive, one YouTuber might have a solution for you.

Over the weekend, stacksmashing posted on Twitter that he’d gotten the popular word puzzle game up and running on a Game Boy. You can see the fruits of his labour below:

However, his version of Wordle isn’t exclusive to a Game Boy; while it’s available on the retro handheld and Analogue Pocket as a ROM, you can also access it online in a browser. The browser version works on mobile as well. He’s also published the code, should you wish to peruse it.

That said, Wordle is a bit limited due to ROM size, which prevented him from having a big wordlist of “‘real’ words,” says stacksmashing. “Instead I’m using a bloom filter to check (with, admittedly, currently a very high error rate) whether an entered word is one of the 8000 most common English words,” he explained.

As it stands, it’s unclear what the future is for the real Wordle. Last week, it was announced that The New York Times had acquired the game from creator Josh Wardle. The company confirmed it would eventually shift the game over to its own platform, at which time it would be free. However, it’s unclear whether it will remain free permanently.

Image credit: stacksmashing

Via: The Gamer

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New update to revamp YouTube mobile full-screen viewing experience

After revamping the YouTube Music experience by testing a new ‘Add to Playlist’ interface, Google is now redesigning the way the YouTube video player looks on Android and iOS.

When you’re watching a full-screen YouTube video on your smartphone, you normally need to swipe up to gain access to the Like/Dislike, Share, Save and Subscribe buttons. With the update, however, all these buttons have been brought forward and can be used while viewing a video in full-screen mode.

The app looks the same in portrait, but the portrait mode never really needs work anyway as all the interactable buttons were available front and center, even while watching a video. The update makes the landscape mode more usable for mobile users as it eliminates the need to pull up the ‘more videos’ tab by swiping up, and relocates the section to a small floating button on the bottom right.

Comments are also viewable directly from the full-screen mode, unlike when users would previously have to exit full-screen mode, open the comments and then go full-screen again to be able to read the comments while viewing the video in landscape.

According to a statement given to The Verge, the new user interface started rolling out on Monday, January 31st for both iOS and Android devices. While the update hasn’t widely released yet, it likely should in the coming days.

Via: The Verge

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Google is testing a new Add to Playlist interface for YouTube Music

Google is testing a new ‘Add to Playlist‘ user interface for its YouTube Music Android app, as first spotted by Reddit user ‘Vishal_Kaul.’

While not a major update, it does spice up YouTube Music’s rather mundane playlist interface from simple black screen, to a bold, artwork-heavy page that shows the number of tracks in each playlist and features a new floating ‘add new playlist’ button.

The in-testing interface also features your recently played playlists right on top with its cover art in a carousel layout, making it easy for users to scroll through playlists they normally would play the most.

Check out these before and after images of the ‘Add to Playlist’ user interface, courtesy of 9to5Google:

While the new interface does look elegant, one user on Reddit has reported that they are having trouble scrolling through the new interface.

Google is likely to polish up the interface if and when it decides to officially roll the update out.

Source: Vishal_Kaul (Reddit)

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YouTube announces grantees of its #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund

Back in 2020, YouTube launched its #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, which supports Black creators and artists on YouTube. Now, the video platform has announced its creator 2022 grantees, which includes five Canadian creators.

Throughout 2022, YouTube will work with these creators and offer dedicated partner support, seed funding to develop their channels and participation in a development program that covers production costs, community engagement and wellbeing.

Here are the five Canadian creators:

According to YouTube’s press release, for Black History Month the platform will also spotlight a few creators more closely.

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YouTube is shutting down its Originals program

YouTube is shutting down its Originals program in favour of investing in other areas of the platform.

YouTube’s chief business officer, Robert Kyncl, explained the closure over Twitter. Kyncl confirmed that part of the reason for the closure relates to Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s head of global content, leaving the company.

However, Kyncl indicated that YouTube Originals investments aim to have a “greater impact on even more creators. These include the growing Creator Shorts Fund for the TikTok short-form vertical video competitor, Black Voices Fund, YouTube Kids, and Live Shopping to name a few.”

Kyncl highlighted in his post that more than two million creators are now eligible for the YouTube Partner Program and that the creator community has never been more successful. He says that the platform has paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists and media companies over the past three years.

YouTube started its Originals program six years ago. YouTube Originals offers original films and series produced in collaboration with studios and YouTube personalities.

Cobra Kai, a current Netflix smash hit, was first a YouTube Original that premiered on YouTube Red (now known as YouTube Premium) back in 2018.

Source: @rkyncl, 9to5Google

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YouTuber Logan Paul accidentally bought $3.5 million of fake Pokémon cards

Controversial YouTuber and celebrity boxer Logan Paul has never hidden his love for the Pokémon franchise.

In fact, he even wore a roughly $150,000 Charizard card around his neck as he entered the ring to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

However, it looks like Paul’s luck has finally caught up with him.

Back in December, Paul purchased what he thought was a roughly $3.5 million box of sealed first-edition Pokémon cards. Paul is known for opening sealed packs of Pokémon on his YouTube channel, so this move wasn’t out of the ordinary for him, though at the time, it was the most expensive Pokémon card purchase in history.

However, it appears that at least one of the boxes he ordered featured GI Joe trading cards and not Pokémon cards. “G.I. JOE? It could’ve been anything else…” says Paul during the video, seen above. Several notable Pokémon card collectors and fan sites weren’t surprised by this turn of events following reports from several weeks ago that Paul’s haul of cardboard pocket monsters could be entirely fake.

In the YouTube video, Paul opens the box at a Chicago hotel with the men who authenticated the cards for him. The person who initially purchased the box for $2.7 million and later sold it to paul for $3.5 million is also present in the hotel room. After the box is opened, the owner of the authentication company claims “we all got duped.” Another individual is heard saying “this is the biggest fraud in the entire history of Pokémon.”

It’s unclear if Paul plans to get his money back from the authentication company or if he’s set to take action against the original seller. There’s also a strong possibility that this could be an elaborate stunt to get views given the social media celebrity’s history.

Since Paul’s video about purchasing the cards went live on January 13th it has already amassed nearly 3 million views, so if the supposed duping was an elaborate plan to garner views, it’s clearly working.

Source: YouTube (Logan Paul)

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Pinkfong’s Baby Shark becomes first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views

What has the world come to? 🦈

Pinkfong’s annoyingly catchy kids’ song, “Baby Shark,” is the first video on YouTube to reach 10 billion views. The second most viewed video, Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” has only hit 7.7 billion. “Baby Shark” overtook Fonsi’s video back in November 2020.

Since its release in 2016, Baby Shark has appeared repeatedly in popular culture. For example, celebrity covers have been created by James Corden and Bebe Rexha, there’s a viral dance challenge, it’s part of Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2020 and Nickelodeon even gave the song its own TV show in 2021.

Looking to the future, Nickelodeon has renewed its Baby Shark show and also has an upcoming feature-length movie on the way. There’s even an NFT collection for “Baby Shark” — yes, you read that correctly.

Unfortunately for parents everywhere, it looks like Baby Shark isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Image credit: Pinkfong

Via: Engadget