Google suspends ads that exploit Russia-Ukraine war

On Thursday, Alphabet-owned Google announced to halt advertisements that exploit, dismiss, or condone the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

The American internet giant emphasized that it will not help websites, apps, and YouTube channels that will not comply.

The company operates through advertising software that helps publishers generate revenue.

Correspondingly, it cited that it will pause ads from appearing next to content that incites violence and denies tragic events.

Google further explained that the latest move expands its monetization guidelines as they relate to the invasion of Ukraine.

It specified that it would not run ads that imply victims are responsible for their own tragedy. This includes claims that Ukraine commits genocide or deliberately attacks its citizens.

At the same time, Google bars promotions that capitalize on sensitive events and have applied that policy to the war.

Accordingly, many major Western advertising and social media services have announced new content and payment restrictions around the conflict.

This limitation included blocking Russian state media RT and Sputnik across the European Union. Earlier, Google also announced that it had stopped selling all online ads in Russia.

The continuing conflict marked its first month today, the most significant war on a European state since World War II. On March 21, Kyiv rejected a Russian request to surrender in Mariupol.

Moreover, the crisis has displaced more than 10.00 million people and killed hundreds of civilians in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden headed to meet his allies. The high stake meeting will talk about the invasion.

The meeting could release new sanctions on the Kremlin, humanitarian assistance for refugees, and additional support for Ukraine’s military.

In addition, Britain will provide 6,000 defensive missiles and extra funds to support Kyiv’s military.

Russia blocks Google News

After the latest announcement of Google, Russia’s communications regulator has blocked the news aggregator service of the media company.

The government agency accuses the platform of allowing access to what the state calls fake material.

Analysts noted that the embargo reflects the significant influence and reach of Google News.

Subsequently, the country recently imposed a law that makes it illegal to report any event that could discredit its military.

Experts explained that this move is consistent with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to control the narrative tightly.

Last week, Moscow authorities demanded Google to stop allowing the spread of threats on YouTube.

The state noted that certain videos are terrorists and threaten the life and health of Russian citizens.