DISINFO: The West uses technology platforms for geopolitical ends
SUMMARY
The West has been using its technology platforms in its geopolitical conflicts for a long time.
In recent months, foreign platforms have repeatedly banned Russian media accounts. For example, Facebook blocked the Baltnews Agency's page without any reason. In October 2020, Twitter placed a "misleading" mark on RT's US election article, and before that, it removed RIA Novosti from search results. Earlier, Twitter blocked Sputnik and RT in the same way, and there were other similar cases.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West's alleged censorship of Russian content. It is consistent with the narrative that Western media are anti-Russian and promote Russophobia. This disinformation message was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.
The mentioned social media outlets are independent companies free from the political control of governments, and Russian outlets exist and operate on all social media platforms. However, to counter disinformation and government propaganda, many social media platforms decided to label media outlets under governments' editorial control as well as countering disinformation messages.
For example, Facebook announced on 4 June 2020 that it would label media outlets that are wholly or partially under the editorial control of their government as such. Similarly, Twitter announced in August 2020 that it will start labelling state-affiliated media organisations "where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, political pressure or control over production and distribution". Editors and senior staff will also have their accounts labelled.
See similar disinformation cases that Twitter sanctions against Russian media are a censorship act, that Google and Facebook manipulate information to destroy Russia, that Facebook is a project of the Soros Foundation, financed by National Security Agency, and that Facebook is in the service of the US State Department.