Social media platform Reddit will block all links from Russian domain names

Social media platform Reddit has blocked all links from Russian domain names, including state-sponsored news sites RT and Sputnik.

Some communities on Reddit have already blocked links from Russian state media and their foreign-language affiliates, but the new policy applies to the entire site.

“We have made these restrictions universal on the site across all geographies,” Reddit said in a post. blog post. “In addition, we will continue to not accept ads targeting Russia or from any Russian-based entity, governmental or private.”

A Reddit admin confirmed that all domain names ending in .ru have also been blocked, and if added, they will be automatically removed by Reddit.

This follows moves by Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to block Russia Today, Sputnik and other official Russian news sources.

According to experts, being blocked from Reddit is one of the most impactful forms of “deplatforming” for official news sources.

Other platforms, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta, have suspended ads, removed content and restricted the ability to find content from Russian-based services, and even blocked content in certain regions. None blocked globally.

Reddit also rejected ads targeting Russia or from any Russian-based company, government or private entity.

Moderators of some subreddits, as communities are known, have previously blocked links manually, but now links are blocked automatically.

This goes beyond that, as moderators won’t even have the ability to manually approve a link from a Russian source.

Reddit also said he was spending time helping and housing staff in Ukraine.

“The conflict in Ukraine has been shocking and upsetting. Recognizing that this is first and foremost a human tragedy, we have worked to ensure that members of our community and colleagues who are affected by these events have the support they need during this difficult time,” writes Reddit in a blog post.

The platform says it is also putting processes in place to address ongoing issues with moderating the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Some communities on Reddit have already blocked links from Russian state media and their foreign-language affiliates, but the new policy applies to the entire site.

“We are in active contact with our moderators and communities, especially those most affected by the conflict, to provide specialized support, resources and tools so that they can continue to operate without interference,” wrote a gatekeeper. word.

This is to reduce the risk of misinformation appearing on the website, including content not directly from a Russian source.

Reddit has also stepped up requests from moderators related to the invasion, so they can be reviewed and addressed quickly, as well as daily guidance for the community and security team, to ensure they don’t delete newsworthy content.

“This is a real situation and our response is evolving daily as we gain new information,” a spokesperson said.

“Reddit, at its core, is about the community, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to ensure our platform remains available for people to connect, support each other, access trusted information, and voice their concerns. genuine opinions and feelings during this difficult time.’

Russia has begun to retaliate against broadcasters, websites and social media platforms that block RT and Sputnik content.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has blocked Facebook for “discrimination against Russian media”, its media regulator Roskomnadzor announced, citing “26 cases of discrimination against Russian media”.

Earlier on Friday, Facebook’s parent company Meta announced that RT and Sputnik would be banned from accessing Facebook and Instagram in the UK, three days after the sites were banned across Europe.

Big tech’s latest crackdown on Moscow’s propaganda machine came at the behest of Britain’s Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, who wrote to Meta, Twitter and TikTok on Thursday demanding the ban.

Ms Dorries said in her letter that Russian President Putin should not be allowed to ‘exploit our open and free media to spread harmful propaganda in Britain’ and called his invasion of Ukraine ‘intolerable’.

“I want to urge you to do all you can to enforce the approach you are taking across the EU to block access to both RT and Sputnik’s online output on your UK services,” she wrote in a letter seen by Sky News.

The change means that RT and Sputnik’s pages are not visible on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube pages in the EU or UK, as well as on Reddit globally.

Russia’s lower house has also backed legislation that would impose jail terms and stiff fines on newspapers and journalists who publish “fake news”, which “carried serious consequences”. Penalties of up to 15 years in prison are proposed.

In the United States, at least 10 states have banned the sale of Russian vodka, and others have decided to divest public pension funds of any Russian assets or ban state contracts with Russian companies.

The exodus of Western companies is adding pressure on Vladimir Putin, and ordinary Russians are no longer able to buy Apple’s iPhone, Nike sneakers or IKEA furniture after these companies halted all exports to the country.

Amendments were also passed to fine or imprison people calling for sanctions against Russia.

The BBC, which has a large office in Moscow and runs a news site in Russian, reacted by announcing the cessation of its operations in Russia.

“This legislation appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism,” BBC director-general Tim Davie said in a statement.

He warned that journalists could face “the risk of criminal prosecution simply for doing their job”.

Two Russian media outlets, Nobel Prize-winning newspaper Novaya Gazeta and business news site The Bell, said on Friday they would stop reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine to protect their journalists.