Ukrainians Protest at Dublin Facebook and Google HQs

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A group of Ukrainians held a protest at the Dublin headquarters of Facebook and Google this morning.

They want the tech giants to take action against alleged Russian state backed accounts believed to be spreading misinformation online.

The protesters delivered an open letter to both companies.

"They have information bubbles in Russia, and it’s really bad," a protester named Lana said. "It’s dangerous for people’s minds, for people’s lives. So we are asking the companies to block Russian accounts, to [not] let sponsored advertisements promote wrong information."

Meta, the company which controls Facebook, has said the platform is acting to block accounts that spread Russian misinformation on both Facebook and Instagram.

"Given the exceptional nature of the current situation we are blocking access to Russian state-controlled media in Ukraine and across the EU," said Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister, now Meta President of Global Affairs. "Globally, we are demoting content from Facebook pages and Instagram accounts from Russian state-controlled media outlets, and we are making them harder to find across our platforms. We will continue to work closely with Governments on this issue."

Dublin's Saint Patrick's Cathedral is hosting a peace vigil this evening.

"People are feeling very numb, they’re feeling helpless, and they’re very sickened and concerned by what’s going on, so [the vigil is] to provide this sort of space and opportunity for people to come together and just sit and reflect, or console each other," said Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland.
 

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