Snapchat joins other Big Tech companies in banning ad sales to Russia — and will donate $15 million in humanitarian aid to support Ukraine
- Snapchat is the latest of the Big Tech companies to crack down on Russia.
- It has halted ad sales to Russia and stopped running ads from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
Snapchat is the latest in a string of tech giants to impose sanctions on Russia by halting ad sales in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
The social networking app announced Tuesday in a blog post that it has stopped all advertising running in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus and that it will "not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities."
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Snapchat does not hold offices in Russia but it is "complying with all sanctions targeting Russian businesses and individuals."
The company said: "We stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian team members and the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and for their freedom."
It added: "War is a scourge on our collective humanity, and in this case, it is a direct threat to many of our team members and their families. We are praying for their safety and for peace."
Ukraine is home to 300 Snapchat employees. The company stated that it will continue to offer its app in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus as it's an "important communication tool," for family and friends. It said that it will, however, continue to "vigilantly" monitor platforms to prevent and remove any misinformation or misuse.
It has also pledged $15 million in humanitarian aid to support organizations providing relief to people in Ukraine and has also provided emergency assistance to ensure the safe relocation of team members.
This move comes as many big companies implement restrictions in solidarity with Ukraine. The European Union, along with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, have banned and restricted Russian state-owned media, Russia Today and Sputnik. This represents the most significant sanctions ever imposed on the media companies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Twitter: "The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war."
Similarly, Apple said on Tuesday that it's stopping all product sales in Russia and is removing RT and Sputnik from its App Store outside of the country.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Twitter will be complying with European Union rules to sanction Russia. Twitter said on Monday that it would add a cautionary label for tweets from Russian affiliated media on its site.