On March 3, Reuters reported that Alphabet Inc’s (Google) had announced additional measures in connection with the Ukraine – Russia situation, as both countries remain at war: namely, the suspension of all Google advertising in Russia. This suspension covers Search, YouTube, and Publishing Partners. Google issued a statement saying: “In light of the extraordinary circumstances, which remain unclear and continue to change every day, we are pausing all of our advertising that runs through our platforms in Russia. Should anything change in the future, we will provide further notice, with this announced measure taking effect immediately.” Previously, Google had banned Russian state-funded media from distributing news through Google’s applications — such as the Russian news outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik News (Sputnik) — as well as removing those applications from Google Play. It also tightened controls on the spread of false information on YouTube, announced that the algorithms across all of Google’s applications would show less content from Russian government media worldwide, and rolled out additional policies to prevent anyone from profiting from the events unfolding between Russia and Ukraine, with the exception of protest advertising or anti-war advertising. This action forms part of the response to Russian President Vladimir Putin over his order for military forces to attack Ukraine. Beyond Google, many other leading American technology companies have also introduced measures related to the Ukraine – Russia war, such as:
Apple: announced the suspension of product sales both in stores and online, discontinued application services, removed the Russian media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik News (Sputnik) from the App Store, and discontinued Apple Pay service.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp): prohibited Russian state-funded companies from earning revenue through advertising across all its applications and refused to cooperate with Russia in halting fact-checking.
Netflix: the world’s largest streaming provider was no exception, introducing measures by refusing to broadcast Russian government TV channels. In addition, four of Netflix’s Original Russian productions were also temporarily suspended.
Microsoft: halted the buying and selling of advertising through all channels in Russia and also assisted Ukraine with Cybersecurity efforts.
This decision by Google, along with various leading companies in the United States, follows the Sanction policy of President Joe Biden. It will be necessary to keep watching how these actions affect Russia over the long term.
Therefore, in situations like this, you should follow the news closely, because the world of Digital Marketing revolves around us every day. If you would like advice on online marketing from a professional company, you can consult with us at Relevant Audience.
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