Moscow could take matters into its own hands – it wouldn’t be the first country to order its internet networks to block Facebook outright.
Other companies are likely to face similar treatment. After Google’s YouTube and TikTok blocked the channels of state broadcasters Russia Today and Sputnik in Europe, Roskomnadzor said it had written to the two companies. “Such actions of the video hosting administration fundamentally violate the key principles of the free distribution of information, unhindered access to it, and are open censorship,” the regulator said.
Netflix also said war in Ukraine meant it would defy an order that large streaming services carry state broadcasters. YouTube, TikTok and Netflix all now face potential restrictions.
Meanwhile, Hollywood studios Warner, Disney and Sony have said they would suspend the releases of their latest blockbusters in Russian cinemas.
US technology companies in particular have often been reluctant to be seen as taking sides in disputes, fearing that restricting content will be seen as censorship and simply encourage calls for more of the same. In this case, however, the scale of Western outrage at Russia has left them with little choice.
Now that they have demonstrated their power, demands are only likely to increase.
On Friday, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov, wrote to Apple chief executive Tim Cook asking the company to stop selling iPhones in Russia and block its App Store. “We are sure that such actions will motivate [the] youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression,” he wrote.
On Tuesday Apple said it had paused all product sales in Russia and removed RT News and Sputnik from its App Store outside Russia. The company has also disabled traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine.
Federov has also called for cryptocurrency exchanges to cut off ordinary Russians, demands that the Biden administration has reportedly echoed. While neither Apple nor cryptocurrency exchanges have answered those calls, more pain is likely to be ahead for the average Russian.
Chip companies Intel and AMD say they have halted sales to Russia, and the US is applying pressure on Chinese electronics companies to follow suit, using American semiconductor technology as leverage.
The more action that is taken, the more exposed Russia’s dependence on US technology becomes. The Kremlin might look enviously at China, which has largely weaned itself off American giants over the last decade. War is making US companies back out of Russia – and they may not be able to return.
