| | | | | | | Presented By Northwest Arkansas Council | | | | Axios Login | | By Ina Fried ·Mar 07, 2022 | | I'm back. Thanks to Scott Rosenberg, Peter Allen Clark and the rest of the Axios tech team for keeping Login in your inbox. Unfortunately, the key story remains the same as before I left: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is the focus of today's newsletter. Today's newsletter is 1,178 words, a 4-minute read. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Putin tests limits of internet truth lockdown |  | | | Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios | | | | The internet promised a world in which no government could fully hide the truth from its people. Russia's free-speech crackdown following its invasion of Ukraine is testing that premise as never before, Axios' Scott Rosenberg writes. Why it matters: How everyday Russians view the conflict is likely to determine their willingness to support Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war. - Putin is betting that old-school censorship and online blackouts can hold a lid on dissent.
The big picture: Russia has succeeded in driving out or shutting down some of the most popular internet services while also squelching the remnants of Russia's own independent news operations. - That means Russians who want information beyond what the state-sanctioned news outlets provide will have to rely on private or encrypted messaging services, virtual private networks or other technical workarounds.
Facebook: Russia blocked Facebook entirely Friday, after partially restricting the social network last week. - "Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silence from speaking out," Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg said in a statement Friday in response to the ban.
Twitter: Varying restrictions on Twitter access for some users inside Russia, known as throttling, began with the start of the Ukraine invasion. - Some outlets reported a new total Twitter block Friday amid conflicting reports.
Telegram: The partially encrypted messaging service is popular in both Ukraine and Russia, and continues to operate. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials and arms of the Ukrainian government have used Telegram extensively to get their messages out.
TikTok: The short-video sharing service became a popular source of raw footage from the field in the war's first days, though its design makes verification difficult, context hard to supply and misinformation easy to spread. Between the lines: The Kremlin's social media crackdown is paired with new limits on media coverage that could be wielded against anyone sharing information online. - A law passed Friday in Russia threatens to imprison journalists and individuals for up to 15 years if they publish what Moscow deems to be "fake" information about the invasion.
What to watch: Growing Russian domestic protest against the Ukraine war would be the most telling sign that Putin's effort to block reliable information from the Russian populace has failed. Yes, but: It's going to be hard for the rest of the world to have a clear view of the true extent of demonstrations and discontent within Russia. - Also, no matter how much information makes its way to Russians, there's no guarantee they will rise against Putin, given the many levers of power he continues to hold.
|     | | | | | | 2. Tech companies suspend sales in Russia |  | | | A view of the Samsung Electronics plant in the Vorsino industrial park. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/TASS | | | | As sanctions clamp down on Russia, some of the biggest names in tech have halted new product sales in the country entirely, including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Adobe. Why it matters: The move is clearly significant, but experts say it won't mean a massive financial hit for the companies. Plus, it ensures compliance with sanctions and avoids the challenges of getting paid within a fractured financial system. Driving the news: - A growing number of tech firms have said they are suspending shipments to Russia, including companies that the country relies on for both tech components and products including smartphones, PCs and servers.
- Samsung, which is among the leading smartphone brands in Russia, said it has stopped Russian shipments of both devices as well as components, such as computer chips. Apple and Dell are halting sales, as has chipmaker Intel and software giant Microsoft.
- A number of financial services companies, from credit card issuers Visa and MasterCard to fintech players like PayPal, have also suspended business in Russia.
Between the lines: The financial impact for the tech companies is modest, while the impact on Russia is likely to be significant as the country relies heavily on U.S.-made tech products. - Economic sanctions drove some of the decisions, although in some cases, companies went further than they were required by law.
Yes, but: Having shown a willingness to halt business in Russia, tech companies are likely to face pressure in future conflicts. Go deeper: The global companies that are abandoning Russia, and why | | | | | | | | 3. Airbnb becomes a Ukraine donation tool |  | | | Photo illustration: Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images | | | | It's not quite what Airbnb was designed for, but a significant number of people are using the housing rental site as a way to quickly get money in the hands of Ukrainian families. How it works: People are booking listings in Ukraine, then letting their hosts know that it was a donation, not a housing rental. Because Airbnb is waiving fees, all the money can go directly to people in Ukraine. Between the lines: The approach lacks some of the accountability and tax benefits of donating to a charity, but has an immediate, highly personal impact. According to NPR, such donations have already raised about $2 million. What they're saying: Melanie Hollands, president of hedge fund Koala Capital, said she has booked a night at seven different listings. - "The grassroots aspect of donating via Airbnb appealed to me," Hollands told Axios. "It has the spirit of constructive civil disobedience."
Our thought bubble: Hopefully, Airbnb has enough systems in place to prevent this trend from creating opportunities for fraudsters. | | | | | | | | A message from Northwest Arkansas Council | | NW Arkansas offers tech workers $10k in Bitcoin to relocate | | |  | | | | To highlight the innovation that's taking place in the region, Northwest Arkansas is offering remote tech workers a blockchain-related incentive of $10,000 in bitcoin and a free bike to move there. Learn more and apply to the program here. | | | | | | 4. Ukrainian game dev hopes to stay |  | | | Alex Molodkin and his partner, Tay Kuznetsova. Image: Courtesy of Alex Molodkin | | | | Since the war in Ukraine began, Alex Molodkin spends the majority of his time following the news from the safety of an apartment hallway, Axios Gaming's Megan Farokhmanesh reports. Molodkin is half of indie developer Weasel Token, a studio located in Kyiv, Ukraine, currently working on the adventure game Puzzles for Clef. The big picture: Molodkin was working on the game in the early hours of the morning when Russia's attacks began. "I heard an explosion somewhere in the distance," he says. "And then another one, and I had to wake everyone up." - Although concerns over a Russian invasion preceded the assault on Kyiv, Molodkin said the attacks still came as a shock.
- "Nobody here really believed anything would happen. And that belief didn't really change much up until the whole invasion started."
Molodkin and his loved ones have stayed in their apartment building. They move into the hallway as needed for safety — a space without windows, in case of explosions. Read the rest. | | | | | | | | 5. Take note | | On Tap - Apple's first major product announcement of the year is being streamed online Tuesday at 10am PT.
Trading Places - Xamarin co-founder Miguel De Icaza is leaving Microsoft after six years as a distinguished engineer. He said he will take some time off before starting on a new project this fall.
ICYMI - The hacker group Lapsus$ has warned Nvidia they will leak stolen source code data if the chipmaker doesn't remove crypto mining limits on its graphics cards. (Ars Technica)
- The same group of hackers is said to have leaked 190 gigabytes of confidential data belonging to Samsung. (BleepingComputer)
| | | | | | | | 6. After you Login |  | | | Yosemite Falls from Yosemite Valley. Photo: Ina Fried/Axios | | | | I took time off last week to do some long-form writing. But I was staying near Yosemite, and I had never been to Yosemite, so I kinda had to go. Spoiler alert: It's pretty great. | | | | | | | | A message from Northwest Arkansas Council | | The (tech) wizards of Oz | | |  | | | | Northwest Arkansas is quickly becoming a major tech hub. Fortune 500 companies and innovative startups are drawing talent from all over the world to work on emerging technologies like machine learning, blockchain and autonomous driving. Explore its opportunities. | | |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201 | | | You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios.
Change your preferences or unsubscribe here. | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. | | | | Follow Axios on social media:    | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment