Snapchat Is Taking A Stand In Russia… Sort Of

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Snapchat is the latest technological venture to limit a part of its services in Russia. The Russia-Ukraine war began on Feb. 24, 2022. Since then, platforms like Facebook and YouTube have imposed monetization restrictions on the state-backed Russian media outlets to control the spread of propaganda. Additionally, these platforms will not provide access to content from Russia Today and Sputnik news in the European Union.

The ability to run ads on these platforms could allow the government to broadcast its propaganda to a larger audience. Twitter has also started adding labels to tweets that contain links and have originated from Russian media organizations. In addition, Apple has stopped the sales of all its product and limited its payment service called Apple Pay in the Russian territory. According to Statcounter, Apple accounts for about 26 percent of the Russian mobile market.

Snapchat has clarified its take on the Russia-Ukraine war. Snapchat has announced that it has stopped running advertisements in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine through an official post. Further, the photos sharing platform has halted advertising sales in Russia and Belarus, complying with the sanctions imposed on Russian businesses. Taking a stand, Snapchat says that “we do not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities.” However, Snapchat will still be available as a “communication tool” in all three countries.

Is Snapchat Encrypted?

In the digital age, wars are often fought on the digital terrain to gain information. During the first few days of the ongoing conflict, several Ukrainian banks and government departments reported facing difficulties in handling their websites. Additionally, cybersecurity experts have also warned the United States and other western countries about digital attacks that might be coming their way. In such a scenario, using a partially encrypted communication app like Snapchat might not be suitable for those affected by the war. Only the Snaps (photos and short videos) sent via Snapchat are end-to-end encrypted. Text messages sent on the platform are not encrypted yet.

Nevertheless, Snapchat has said that it is vigilantly monitoring its platform for “any evidence of disinformation or misuse.” As a reminder, the augmented reality technology used by Snapchat was created by a Ukrainian company called Looksery. In addition, the app says in its post that it has never allowed Russian state media to distribute content via the Discover section on Snapchat or through paid ads. Further, Snapchat has articulated its support to its “Ukrainian team members and the people of Ukraine.”

Source: Snapchat, The Conversation, Fortune