Twitter takes measures to prevent disinformation in Ukraine and Russia

Twitter is taking aggressive measures to provide clear and factual information on its platform in Russia and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war against his neighboring nation on Thursday.

“We’re temporarily pausing advertisements in Ukraine and Russia to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it,” the social media company said Friday.

Twitter also ran a list of precautions it was taking to stop misinformation from spreading as Putin’s troops spread their offensive into Ukraine cities.

“Our top priority is keeping people on Twitter safe,” the social media giant said. “We’re actively monitoring for risks associated with the conflict in Ukraine, including identifying and disrupting attempts to amplify false and misleading information.”

The big tech company also said it was proactively reviewing tweets from “synthetic and manipulated media” that presents false reports of what’s happening during the international crisis.

“We’re actively monitoring vulnerable high-profile accounts, including journalists, activists, and government officials and agencies to mitigate any attempts at a targeted takeover or manipulation,” Twitter added.

The social media platform took similar but less-severe measures to protect democracy in the U.S. after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was fueled my disinformation. Key figures including former President Donald Trump were banned from Twitter altogether. The company also stepped-up its fact-checking measures to stop misinformation about the COVID pandemic from harming the public.

Those actions were met with criticism by some users, including many Trump supporters, who felt their ideology was being judged unfairly.

A verified account attributed to the president of Russia remains active, though Putin has repeatedly spread disinformation on state TV in the days leading up to Russia’s attack on its neighbor. Among the bizarre statements made by the 69-year-old authoritarian was his claim Friday that Ukraine is run by a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.”

Ukraine’s democratically elected president Volodomyr Zelenskyy is a Jew who reportedly lost family members in the Holocaust.