Cities in Ukraine are crumbling one by one as the world watches in horror. Meta has now come out in full favor of this atrocity. As a result of the move, Facebook is no longer accessible in Russia.
Our sympathies are with everyone affected by the conflict in Ukraine, the business stated in a statement. Across all of our applications, we’re putting in a lot of effort to keep our users secure and happy, whether they’re in Ukraine or anywhere else in the globe.
To aid those in Ukraine, Meta has taken some early steps.
Contributing to the safety of others In reaction to the current situation in Ukraine and Russia, Meta has implemented a number of safety measures.
Set a Password for Your Account
Locking your Facebook profile may be done in a single click using this tool. The profile photo of a person who has locked their account will be hidden from anyone who isn’t already a friend of that person. They will also be unable to see any posts or other photographs on that person’s page, regardless of when they were posted. Meta’s teams are engaging with non-governmental organizations and civil society groups to ensure that people are aware of these tools.
Lists of Friends
In an effort to keep its users safe, Meta has temporarily disabled the ability to browse and search the friend lists of users in the Ukraine and Russia.
Privacy and Security on Instagram
Instagram users in Ukraine and Russia will receive a message at the top of their feed concerning privacy and account security thanks to Meta. A friendly reminder from Meta for those with public accounts that they may wish to keep their accounts private is now available. Those who follow a private account will have to be approved by the account holder before they can access their posts and stories. Meta offers advice to those who currently have private accounts on how to keep them safe by using two-factor authentication and creating strong passwords. In addition, all adults in Ukraine and Russia may now use Instagram to communicate securely one-on-one.
Messenger Protects Your Personal Information and Keeps You Secure
Messenger users in Ukraine and Russia now have more tools at their disposal thanks to Meta’s rapid rollout of notifications for screenshots of messages that have vanished in our end-to-end encrypted chats.
WhatsApp’s Secure Messaging
End-to-end encryption is enabled by default for all user communications, ensuring that no government can read them. Now, users may transmit photographs or videos that disappear once they’ve been seen and “disappearing mode” to instantly erase any new chats after 24 hours if you lose your phone.
Reduce the spread of False Information
Meta continues to work with other experts and is taking considerable measures to combat the spread of false information on its applications. By working with third-party fact-checkers in the region to disprove incorrect claims, we can help guarantee that fewer individuals see material that breaks our standards.
Meta has begun removing information from state-controlled media outlets’ Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles, making them more difficult to discover on its platforms. Meta has also demonetized their accounts and has prohibited adverts from Russian state-controlled media.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Services has developed a WhatsApp information hotline in order to ensure dependable access to trustworthy information. Emergency response protocols and important updates will be made available to the public via the free service. Save the number +380676785917 in your phone contacts and then send the word (begin) in a WhatsApp message to begin using the free hotline.
In support of the humanitarian operations in Ukraine, more than $20 million has been collected for organizations on Facebook and Instagram since February 23.
200,000 Romanian volunteers and benefactors are organizing transportation and lodging for migrants through a Facebook Group they founded. More than 300,000 people in Poland are providing accommodation, clothes, medication, and transportation to those in need.
In addition, Meta is pledging $15 million to humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and the surrounding region.
