The war in Ukraine and its impact on the community

The war in Ukraine is causing immense devastation and suffering. It has also had a significant impact on our community and people. As a platform, we are faced with the challenge of navigating a complex and rapidly changing environment, aiming to serve as a canvas, a window, and a bridge for people around the world.

To prioritize the safety of our community, we have dedicated substantial resources to develop and enforce new protective measures. One of these measures is the implementation of a state-controlled media policy. Recognizing the importance of providing additional context, especially during times of war and in conflict zones, we have expedited the rollout of this policy. In the coming days, we will begin labeling content from state-controlled media accounts to provide viewers with the necessary context to evaluate the content they consume. We have engaged experts from various backgrounds and countries to define state-controlled media and establish our approach to designating such entities. Feedback from these experts will continue to inform the development and expansion of our global policy.

Misinformation poses a significant risk during times of crisis. To combat this, we are continuously enhancing our safety and security measures. Our platform prohibits content that contains harmful misinformation, promotes violence, or exhibits hateful behavior. We employ a combination of technology and human expertise to protect our platform, with teams proficient in over 60 languages, including Russian and Ukrainian. We also collaborate with independent fact-checking organizations to assess the accuracy of content and remove violative material. Content that is being fact-checked or cannot be substantiated will not be recommended in our feeds.

Digital literacy is crucial in empowering our community to make informed decisions about the content they consume. To support this, we have incorporated digital literacy tips on our Discover page, developed in partnership with reputable organizations. These tips help viewers evaluate online content and familiarize themselves with safety, security, and privacy tools available on our platform. Additionally, we are implementing opt-in screens and digital literacy reminders on certain videos and livestreams.

The safety of our community and people remains our top priority. In addition to implementing protective measures, we are committed to providing humanitarian aid. We have initiated a $1 million donation as part of our ongoing efforts to assist those most vulnerable in emergencies. We will continue to be responsive to unfolding events, take action against content or behavior that threatens platform safety, and allocate resources to protect our community.

Update on March 6, 2022 at 1:15pm ET:

Due to Russia's new 'fake news' law, we are temporarily suspending livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia. This decision is made to prioritize the safety of our employees and users. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected. We will closely evaluate the safety implications of this law and determine when we can fully resume our services in Russia.

Update on April 12, 2022 at 6:00am ET:

To provide transparency, we would like to share some insights into our actions taken from February 24 to March 31, 2022. Our safety team focused on the Ukraine war has removed 41,191 videos, with 87% of them violating our policies against harmful misinformation. The majority of these videos (78%) were proactively identified. Our fact-checking partners have assessed 13,738 videos globally, and we have added prompts on 5,600 videos to inform viewers that the content could not be verified. As part of our pilot state-controlled media policy, we have labeled content from 49 Russian state-controlled media accounts. We have also identified and removed 6 networks and 204 accounts globally for coordinated efforts to mislead users and influence public opinion. Additionally, we have taken action against fake accounts, removing 321,784 in Russia and 46,298 in Ukraine, resulting in the removal of 343,961 videos. These actions are part of our ongoing efforts to protect against fake engagement and are not specific to accounts or content related to the Ukraine war.

Update on May 20, 2022 at 6am ET:

In response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are expanding the rollout of our state-controlled media labels to include Ukraine and Belarus. We are also continuing to develop our global policy and approach beyond this pilot.