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Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked in Russia because they only allow pro-Ukraine narrative. The social platforms became weapons in this war. Anyon

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked in Russia because they only allow pro-Ukraine narrative. The social platforms became weapons in this war. Anyone noticed they blocked accounts of most Russian media companies and news sources? Or users with "wrong" opinions are being shadow banned? Or Google deprioritised or excluded some Russian gov services (even non news)? Sorry, but unbiased sources do not exist. Free speech does not exist. It's not two worlds, but two bubbles.

alex-ant 5y ago
Currently Russia doesn't have a singe reliable news source. We all have seen the pro-Russian narrative - there's no war, we're not murdering the civilians, all Ukrainians are nazis developing bioweapons targeting "slav DNA" and to be delivered across the border by birds, etc. Those are not news. Needless to say that this propaganda also targets people in other countries with large ethnical Russian population, specifically the Baltic states and incites those people to riot and hate the land they live on creating a bridgehead for possible Russian invasion.
- pphysch 5y ago
  What is your standard for "reliable news source"? Does it look something like this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Perennial_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Per...
- cabirum 5y ago
  However "unreliable" these news sources are, they present a different opinion that is being censored. And since there are just two sides in this war, you can only see just one side of a story.
  - renw0rp 5y ago
    Russians doing what they have been doing for a hundred years: lying, blaming, spreading clearly false propaganda, stealing, murdering and raping people. Meanwhile people in the west, or at least outside of the conflict zone, discussing about free speech. Nothing has changed. You can be proud of yourself and your principles.
  - watwut 5y ago
    The Russian statements are easily available. Starting from special military operation, actually west forced us to do it, Ukraine is not real country, the calls for denazification, ultimately towards de-Ukrainiation. Continuing by saying civilians in Bucha were actually killed by Ukrainians and including that Marinopol is actually bombed by Ukraine itself. It is super easy to find what Russian embassies and politicians are saying. Full statements are available on their twitter accounts, Facebook pages or general websites. It is super easy to find Russians writing in English complaining about sanctions or voicing their opinions about Russia. Full history of changing official Russian narrative is available. There is no problem to find Russian official statements at all. The issue here is that you ignore what they are saying in order to pretend it is not available or that it was somewhat convincing.
- NoOn3 5y ago
  https://www.rbc.ru/ https://www.rbc.ru/ and RBC tv channel maybe called somewhat like independent source... But reliable news source on tv does not existed at all on almost all TV channels in all countries, they all promote profitable to them point of view... Only if you watch different sources you may try to imagine something close to reality.
- kikimora 5y ago
  meduza.io is one of a few you can use to get alternative view. They may be somewhat biased towards Russian opposition but way, way more objective compared to state media.
Zanfa 5y ago
Given russian media is legally only allowed to spout government-approved propaganda, it really makes sense to ban them from social media. This does not equal to only allowing pro-Ukrainian media.
- cabirum 5y ago
  Why don't you call pro-Ukrainian media "propaganda"? They did recently ban all but a few pro-gov political parties, and all their media is equally under total government control
  - older 5y ago
    What do you consider pro-Ukrainian media? The BBC?
    - d0mine 5y ago
      If you consider that the Ukrainian conflict is a war between US and Russia, then yes all western media are pro-Ukrainian (it serves US interests at the moment).
      - Zanfa 5y ago
        It's not though, so your point is irrelevant.
        ShivShankaran 5y ago
        so what's your response to Ukraine banning all left wing parties even the ones that won popular votes? What about panama papers proving zelensky and ukrainian politicians having twice as many illegal activities as whole or russia? and ghost of kiev or the snake island bombing or the tank dude or the other million of fake news being peddled
        Zanfa 5y ago
older 5y ago
> Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked in Russia because they only allow pro-Ukraine narrative. This is demonstrably not true and easily disproved. All the official Russian accounts are on twitter and keep posting lies after lies, lately main topic is denial of massacre in Bucha. For example: https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/1510649349482635265 https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/1510649349482635265
- ShivShankaran 5y ago
  With the fog of war there has been more embellishments coming out of Ukraine than Russia. The tank running over, Ghost of kiev, shopping mall fiasco, snake island deaths, russian death squad (turned out to be ukranian border guards) , ukraine claiming russians bombed babi yar.... Even with maternity hospital bombing, the women in photographs said that the Ukranian army had occupied the hospital and forced them out of the maternity wing. Like the other poster said: it's fake news on fake news. Two different bubbles.
  - older 5y ago
    What is all this random stuff you have written here has to do with the fact that the other poster lied about twitter not allowing russian propaganda?
    - rackjack 5y ago
      It doesn't. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30664769 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30664769 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763216 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763216 Look at the author.
      - ShivShankaran 5y ago
        Amazing retort. You got me. Hand in the cookie jar.

alex-ant 5y ago

Currently Russia doesn't have a singe reliable news source. We all have seen the pro-Russian narrative - there's no war, we're not murdering the civilians, all Ukrainians are nazis developing bioweapons targeting "slav DNA" and to be delivered across the border by birds, etc. Those are not news. Needless to say that this propaganda also targets people in other countries with large ethnical Russian population, specifically the Baltic states and incites those people to riot and hate the land they live on creating a bridgehead for possible Russian invasion.

pphysch 5y ago
What is your standard for "reliable news source"? Does it look something like this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Perennial_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Per...
cabirum 5y ago
However "unreliable" these news sources are, they present a different opinion that is being censored. And since there are just two sides in this war, you can only see just one side of a story.
- renw0rp 5y ago
  Russians doing what they have been doing for a hundred years: lying, blaming, spreading clearly false propaganda, stealing, murdering and raping people. Meanwhile people in the west, or at least outside of the conflict zone, discussing about free speech. Nothing has changed. You can be proud of yourself and your principles.
- watwut 5y ago
  The Russian statements are easily available. Starting from special military operation, actually west forced us to do it, Ukraine is not real country, the calls for denazification, ultimately towards de-Ukrainiation. Continuing by saying civilians in Bucha were actually killed by Ukrainians and including that Marinopol is actually bombed by Ukraine itself. It is super easy to find what Russian embassies and politicians are saying. Full statements are available on their twitter accounts, Facebook pages or general websites. It is super easy to find Russians writing in English complaining about sanctions or voicing their opinions about Russia. Full history of changing official Russian narrative is available. There is no problem to find Russian official statements at all. The issue here is that you ignore what they are saying in order to pretend it is not available or that it was somewhat convincing.
NoOn3 5y ago
https://www.rbc.ru/ https://www.rbc.ru/ and RBC tv channel maybe called somewhat like independent source... But reliable news source on tv does not existed at all on almost all TV channels in all countries, they all promote profitable to them point of view... Only if you watch different sources you may try to imagine something close to reality.
kikimora 5y ago
meduza.io is one of a few you can use to get alternative view. They may be somewhat biased towards Russian opposition but way, way more objective compared to state media.

Zanfa 5y ago

Given russian media is legally only allowed to spout government-approved propaganda, it really makes sense to ban them from social media. This does not equal to only allowing pro-Ukrainian media.

cabirum 5y ago
Why don't you call pro-Ukrainian media "propaganda"? They did recently ban all but a few pro-gov political parties, and all their media is equally under total government control
- older 5y ago
  What do you consider pro-Ukrainian media? The BBC?
  - d0mine 5y ago
    If you consider that the Ukrainian conflict is a war between US and Russia, then yes all western media are pro-Ukrainian (it serves US interests at the moment).
    - Zanfa 5y ago
      It's not though, so your point is irrelevant.
      - ShivShankaran 5y ago
        so what's your response to Ukraine banning all left wing parties even the ones that won popular votes? What about panama papers proving zelensky and ukrainian politicians having twice as many illegal activities as whole or russia? and ghost of kiev or the snake island bombing or the tank dude or the other million of fake news being peddled
        Zanfa 5y ago

older 5y ago

> Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked in Russia because they only allow pro-Ukraine narrative. This is demonstrably not true and easily disproved. All the official Russian accounts are on twitter and keep posting lies after lies, lately main topic is denial of massacre in Bucha. For example: https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/1510649349482635265 https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/1510649349482635265

ShivShankaran 5y ago
With the fog of war there has been more embellishments coming out of Ukraine than Russia. The tank running over, Ghost of kiev, shopping mall fiasco, snake island deaths, russian death squad (turned out to be ukranian border guards) , ukraine claiming russians bombed babi yar.... Even with maternity hospital bombing, the women in photographs said that the Ukranian army had occupied the hospital and forced them out of the maternity wing. Like the other poster said: it's fake news on fake news. Two different bubbles.
- older 5y ago
  What is all this random stuff you have written here has to do with the fact that the other poster lied about twitter not allowing russian propaganda?
  - rackjack 5y ago
    It doesn't. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30664769 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30664769 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763216 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763216 Look at the author.
    - ShivShankaran 5y ago
      Amazing retort. You got me. Hand in the cookie jar.