Tag: Social Media

NEWSWATCH: “The danger of Russian disinformation” – Washington Post/Anne Applebaum, Edward Lucas

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

…authoritarian regimes, led by Russia but closely followed by China, have begun investing heavily in the production of alternatives. Because national media is often weak, it has become far easier for channels such as RT (formerly Russia Today) and Sputnik (a Russian “news” agency) to establish credibility in smaller European markets. … even in larger countries, the Russian use of […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSWATCH: “The Baltic Elves Taking on Pro-Russian Trolls; What at first looked like as a social media grudge match could be a precursor to invasion, war, and resistance in the Baltics” – TheDailyBeast.com

Baltics, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
Map of Baltics and Environs, Including Kaliningrad

Mindaugas is an unassuming, thirtysomething advertising agency director by day … ferocious cyber-warrior by night. He started a phenomenon … in Lithuania … countering Kremlin propaganda and disinformation …. ‘We needed to call our group something. … we were fighting trolls. … I said, “Let’s be elves.”‘ There were 20 or 30 at first, when the trolls began … leaving […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Like, Share, Convict: Russian Authorities Target Social Media Users

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – March 10, 2016) [Chart here http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/like-share-convict-russian-authorities-target-social-media-users/562015.html] It was a throwaway comment, forgotten almost the minute it was written. Then again, Viktor Krasnov could hardly have predicted the trouble those three words -“God doesn’t exist” – would cause. He couldn’t have imagined that two VKontakte users would file a formal complaint to the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK TASS: “Russian blogger stands trial on charges of insulting believers’ religious feelings”

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Religion
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov » Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why did Kadyrov publish ‘revelatory’ report about himself?

Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Ramzan Kadyrov file photo

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov has chosen to make public himself a report that accuses him of creating a quasi-Islamic state within Russia and not obeying Russian laws. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH – February 26, 2016) The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has chosen to publish a report called “A National Security Threat” […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK TASS: “Russia’s ex-PM asks FSB to launch criminal proceedings against Chechen leader”

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Ramzan Kadyrov file photo » Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Russians do not want authorities to have access to non-public personal data

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Interfax – January 31, 2016) Most respondents surveyed by the Public Opinion Foundation (58%) believe the state should not have access to non-public personal data and people’s correspondence on social networking sites and via email, while 24% believe it violates human rights and 22% believe it constitutes privacy invasion and is not ethical. The poll, which surveys 1,000 respondents who […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Russia without whom?

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

As the Soviet Union collapsed, a generation had just been born. The online journal Russia without us catalogues their struggle to find a place in today’s Russia. Interview. (opendemocracy.net – Andrey Urodov, Maxim Edwards – January 21, 2016) Andrey Urodov is a freelance journalist covering сultural and social issues in Russia. He runs the non-profit Russia without us magazine. Maxim […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , ,

10 facts about the Russian Internet

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Photo of Little Girl at Computer Next to Globe

Desktops are beginning to become a thing of the past: In the past year the number of Russian users going on-line from mobile devices has increased by 90 percent. RBTH has sifted some more curious facts about the Internet. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH – January 11, 2016) 1. 11.8 million Russian users (14%) go […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Peskov: No restrictions for [quick data] messengers planned

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
Dmitry Peskov file photo adapted from image at kremlin.ru/wikimedia commons

(Interfax – December 9, 2015) The Kremlin said that no restrictions for the quick data transmission systems, the so-called messengers, are planned to introduce. “I am aware that the issue is really being worked on, but not in the aspect of restrictions. As far as I am concerned, there are no restrictions there, but the issue is being worked on, […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Inoculated Against Russian Propaganda

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – December 4, 2015) Immediately following the harrowing terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, Russian pro-Kremlin media adjusted their rhetoric, abandoning their previous anti-Western and anti-U.S. vitriol even before the Kremlin spoke of a broad military alliance. “A listener called Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station … and said that Americans are not our […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

Russians Turn to Bartering in Economic Recession

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – December 2, 2015) An economic recession and soaring grocery prices have prompted Russians to go online to trade household items for food, with scores of websites facilitating a barter system cropping up around the country. Russia’s main social network, VKontakte, has an array of online groups, targeting various cities, where local inhabitants […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

Confession of a Russian internet provider: A firsthand account of how the internet is monitored, regulated and blocked in the Russian Federation

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(opendemocracy.net – Dmitry Okrest – November 5, 2015) Dmitry Okrest is a former staff writer with The New Times and currently works as an independent journalist. The internet is no longer free in Russia-that’s according to Freedom Net, a report recently published by Freedom House. Freedom of expression on the internet has been under threat for some time in the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

RBTH: Instant messaging apps: Social resource or security threat?

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

Is tighter government regulation of instant messaging apps using encryption really needed? Where is the line between user friendliness and national security threat? Internet expert Anton Merkurov reflects upon the matters for RBTH. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anton Merkurov is an internet expert and representative of Open Garden, the developer behind FireChat – October 15, 2015) While […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

[Nataliya Vasilyeva (AP Moscow correspondent) tweets re: reports on Russian casualties in Ukraine]

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

[DJ: Nataliya Vasilyeva (AP Moscow correspondent) tweets: 2 day of Western officials retweeting a Forbes report quoting a Ukrainian web-site quoting a non-existent Russia news web-site re Ukraine. The main problem here is, of course, where was the Forbes online editor when the story was published, why nobody bothered to check sources? The ease of spreading rumors in the digital […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

Moscow Times/VTsIOM/Penn: Six in Ten Russians Would Support Internet Censorship During a Crisis

Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – August 4, 2015) Nearly six in 10 Russians would support the government if it decided to pull the plug on Internet access inside the country in a crisis situation, a recent poll indicates. Support for online censorship or cutting off Internet access altogether was the highest among Russians who never or rarely […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

Interfax: Nearly half of Russians have social network accounts – poll

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Interfax – Moscow, June 30, 2015) Almost half of Russians have a social network account. As many as 23 per cent use it on a regular basis, 25 per cent use it from time to time and 7 per cent said they have it but do not use it, Levada Centre [pollster] has told Interfax. According to a poll carried […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

Russian ‘Troll Farm’ Lawsuit Postponed When Defendant Fails to Show

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – June 2, 2015) Russian court hearings into a lawsuit by a former Internet “troll” against her former employer have been postponed after the defendant failed to show up for the proceedings. A city court in St. Petersburg also ruled that the plaintiff, Lyudmila Savchuk – who said her suit was intended to […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

U.S. Social Networks, Blogs Allowed Back Into Crimea

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 25, 2015) The United States on Friday announced that U.S. companies can still give users in Crimea access to a range of free online communications services, despite an earlier U.S. ban on providing any services to the region after it was annexed by Russia last year. The decision will allow U.S. Internet companies such […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

Russia’s Biggest Social Network VK Beats Television in Battle for Viewers

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – May 8, 2015) Russia’s leading social network VK has beaten the country’s biggest television channel in the battle for viewers’ attention, data from media research firm TNS Russia showed. VK, previously known as VKontakte, had 13.2 million daily users in March this year, while state-owned giant Channel One had an audience of […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK AFP: Trolling for Putin: Russia’s information war explained.

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

Lyudmila Savchuk says it was money that wooed her into the ranks of the Kremlin’s online army, where she bombarded website comment pages with eulogies of President Vladimir Putin, while mocking his adversaries. “Putin is great,” “Ukrainians are Fascists,” “Europe is decadent”: Savchuk, 34, listed the main messages she was told to put out on Internet forums after responding to […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

VIDEO NEWSWATCH Legatum Insitute: The Menace of Unreality: Combating Russian Disinformation in the 21st Century.

Europe, EU, Events, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations, Videos
Satellite Dishes

The Legatum Institute, on Oct. 14, 2014, hosted a panel discussion on “The Menace of Unreality: Combatting Russian Disinformation in the 21st Century.”  The event featured Anne Applebaum, Director of the Legatum Institute’s Transitions Forum, Geoffrey Pyatt, US Ambassador to Ukraine, Oleksander Scherba, Ambassador at Large at the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Weiss, Editor-in-Chief of The Interpreter, Peter Pomerantsev, journalist […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

The Trolls Who Came In From The Cold

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Satellite Dishes

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Viktor Rezunkov – ST. PETERSBURG, March 16, 2015) Last May, Tatiana N decided she wanted a higher salary than the average journalist can expect. After responding to an advertisement in the popular HeadHunter job-search website, she became a Kremlin-paid Internet troll. Tatiana — who, like others interviewed for this story, asked that her last name not […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

Sanctions-Strapped Russia Outguns the U.S. in Information War; Moscow drowns out Voice of America, and facts are a casualty

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Nicole Gaouette – April 2, 2015) The troubled U.S. agency responsible for delivering news around the world is being outgunned in Eastern Europe by Russian outlets unrestrained by notions of fact-based journalism. The unequal competition raises fears among U.S. officials that Moscow is winning the information war about events in Ukraine, even as the Russian economy […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK New York Times: A Russian TV Insider Describes a Modern Propaganda Machine

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Satellite Dishes

“It was shocking,” said Mr. Pomerantsev, speaking over coffee in London last month. “They really saw television and news as a movie, and talked about it as a movie.”

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK New York Times: Russia’s Ideology: There Is No Truth

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

IMAGINE if you grew up lying. Not a little bit, for convenience, but during every public moment of your life: at school, at work, at social events. You had to lie to survive, because the punishment for telling the truth was the loss of your academic or professional career, or even prison. For Russians who came of age before 1991, […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK New York Times: Sunday Book Review: ‘Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible,’ by Peter Pomerantsev

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Tower and Building Inside Kremlin

The name “Vladimir Putin” is almost impossible to find in “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia.” He usually appears only as “the President,” lording over and lurking behind the tales of tragedy and absurdity in Peter Pomerantsev’s captivating new book about modern Russia and its discontents.   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/books/review/nothing-is-true-and-everything-is-possible-by-peter-pomerantsev.html?_r=0

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK Newseum Event: Journalism/Works: Putin: Power, Persuasion and Propaganda

Events, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Newseum and Environs Aerial View

Anti-American sentiment and a nationalist fervor in Russia are rated higher today than at Cold War peaks – and at the heart of those twin developments is a master of propaganda, media control and mass audience appeal: Russian president Vladimir Putin. This year is the 30th anniversary of the launch of perestroika and glasnost under Mikhail Gorbachev – and the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK Epoch Times: Russia’s Weapon of Choice: Information Warfare

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Tower and Building Inside Kremlin

With its annexation of Crimea, aggression in the eastern Ukraine, and military and economic threats to NATO nations, the Kremlin has resumed a new kind of Cold War. Regardless of what Vladimir Putin may say, his motives are not benign. The West has reacted with surprise, confusion, paralysis, and mostly inaction.   Epoch Times: Russia’s Weapon of Choice: Information Warfare. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK Washington Post: Book Review: ‘Nothing is True and Everything is Possible,’ by Peter Pomerantsev

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

In Russia — a country that constitutes one-seventh of the world’s landmass, spans eight time zones and has a population of 143 million — television unites the nation. It is “the only force that can unify and rule and bind this country,” writes Russian-born British journalist Peter Pomerantsev. “It’s the central mechanism of a new type of authoritarianism, one far […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK BBC: Russia’s global media operation under the spotlight.

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

The Kremlin’s international media operation appears to be going from strength to strength with two recent high-profile launches and more in the pipeline. But it is also coming under increased scrutiny over its lack of editorial balance and accusations that it is deliberately using disinformation to counter and divide the West. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30040363

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSLINK Institute for War & Peace Reporting: How Russia Fights its Information War

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

The Kremlin is committing huge resources to extending its influence through spin rather than soldiers. As the Ukraine crisis continues, IWPR editor Daniella Peled talks to writer and regional expert Peter Pomeranzev about how Russia is using the media as an extension of its military power. Russia is devoting great resources to the information war – how effective is this […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEWSWATCH National Interest: Debunked: Why There Won’t Be Another Cold War. The new generation doesn’t believe in a “New Cold War.”

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Putin and Obama with U.S. and Russian Flags

[“Debunked: Why There Won’t Be Another Cold War. The new generation doesn’t believe in a ‘New Cold War.’” – National Interest – Matthew Rojansky, Rachel S. Salzman – March 20, 2015] Writing for The National Interest, Matthew Rojansky and Rachel S. Salzman address the status of U.S.-Russian relations and whether they could be deemed a new Cold War or turn into one. They also consider […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

RIA Novosti: Ukrainian Teens Tweet Nazi Propaganda, Boast of Burning Russians

Middle East, North Africa, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Twitter Logo and Faint World Map

[Graphics and tweets here en.ria.ru/society/20141012/193990648/ Ukrainian-Teens-Tweet-Nazi-Propaganda-Boast-of-Burning-Russians.html] MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova – Since the Euromaidan turmoil and events triggered by the Ukrainian coup of February 2014, Ukrainian youth has been used as the main propaganda force of the Ukrainian nationalist movement. Ukrainian right-wing nationalists attract young people by romanticized the image of OUN-UPA and Stepan Bandera, the famous […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Facebook, Google and Twitter hit by new Russian internet law

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Photo of Little Girl at Computer Next to Globe

(Business New Europe – bne.ru – September 30, 2014) Russia’s official communications regulator Roskomnadzor says it will enforce a recently passed law that could force foreign-owned internet companies to store the data of Russian users on Russia data centres, as part of a Kremlin drive towards what it calls ‘information sovereignty’. Major US-based internet companies such as Facebook, Google, and […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

RIA Novosti: Russian experts speculate on why prime minister’s Twitter account was hacked

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo Dmitry Medvedev at Desk with Laptop Computer

(RIA Novosti – August 14, 2014) Moscow, 14 August: Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev’s Twitter account [https://twitter.com/MedvedevRussia], which was hacked on Thursday [14 August], may have been hacked in response to the law that imposes stricter liability on bloggers and the partial ban on anonymous access to the Internet via [public] wi-fi networks, or because of the strained relations between […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , ,

Russia Beyond the Headlines: Social media alive and well despite laws

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexander Plyushchev, special to RBTH – July 15, 2014) Alexander Plyushchev is a popular blogger and one of the pioneers of Internet journalism in Russia. Russians flock to social networks even as the government tries to regulate the web A new law, which comes into effect Aug. 1, will effectively subject Russia’s most […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

Ukraine’s Minister Of Facebook

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Glenn Kates – July 3, 2014) Angry about continued protests outside Ukraine’s parliament building and an apparent attack on a female journalist, a Facebook user vents his anger on his personal page. “The real Ukrainian warriors [the troops fighting against separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions] will return from the front for just a minute and beat you so […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

Russian Premier Medvedev Defends Facebook, Twitter

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Photo Dmitry Medvedev at Desk with Laptop Computer

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Torrey Clark – May 17, 2014) Russians access to Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. is safe if Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has a say in the matter. The government leader rebuked a communications official for saying in an interview published yesterday that Russia has the right to fully block online social networks if they don’t uphold […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Russian Internet twitters with talk of Ukraine

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Fefelova, special to RBTH – April 21, 2014) Russian bloggers and politicians use social media to discuss the conflict in the Donbass. While Russian state television is giving one perspective on the events in Eastern Ukraine, politicians and opposition bloggers alike have been expressing different views online. Konstantin Dolgov, the Special Representative […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

Ukraine’s Social Media Revolution Years in the Making

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Voice of America – voanews.com – Cecily Hilleary – March 14, 2014) When a Ukrainian women’s plea for freedom went viral in February and received nearly eight million views, it demonstrated the power of social media in spreading the message of Ukraine’s political reform. Yulia Marushevska’s emotional YouTube plea spurred thousands of Ukrainians into the streets, but analysts say it […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,

NEWSLINK: Russians use ‘love’ emoticon on Facebook more than any other

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
Red Valentine's Heart

[“Russians use ‘love’ emoticon on Facebook more than any other” – San Francisco Business Times – Steven E.F. Brown- February 13, 2014 – bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/02/russians-love-emoticon-facebook-berkeley.html?page=all] The San Francisco Business Times reports that the top emoticon for Russian facebook users is the love icon.  Yet researchers at Cal-Berkeley and Cambridge provide a mixed assessment of what that means: Russians choose an emoticon […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

Ex-Olympian Rodnina Apologizes For Racist Twitter Picture

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Sports, Olympics, World Cup
File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – February 11, 2014) Irina Rodnina, the famed figure skater who lit the Olympic flame at the Sochi opening ceremony, has said that a racially insensitive tweet sent from her account and featuring U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle was posted by hackers. The doctored – and, in the eyes of […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

The Artistic Community Responds to Events in Kiev

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Maidan Square file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – January 27, 2014) When the going gets tough, as we have seen repeatedly in recent years, the tough take to Facebook. At least that’s what they do in this part of the world. So it has been with the events in Kiev – call them protests or call them a revolution in […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , ,

Putin Gets Into the ‘Selfie’ Game

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2014) Though he may lack the Twitter following of his tech-obsessed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin was social media star over the weekend, as a “selfie” photo of the president and a young boy made the rounds on the Internet. [https://twitter.com/koffboy/status/422411344927653888] The picture of an unidentified boy and Putin was published […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , ,

Edward Snowden ‘In Safe Place With Friends’ – Russian Lawyer

Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Edward Snowden file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, Aug. 2, 2013) Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified information on US surveillance programs and who was granted temporary asylum Thursday by Russia, has decided where he is going to live and is in a safe place with friends, a Russian lawyer who helped him with his asylum bid said […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Interfax: Prime Minister Medvedev is best known blogger of Russia – poll

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo Dmitry Medvedev at Desk with Laptop Computer

(Interfax – July 19, 2013) Seventy percent of Russians have heard the “blogger” word but 29 percent do not know what it means, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) said in the presentation of a poll conducted in 42 regions on July 6-7. A third of the respondents (33 percent) could name some of the Russian bloggers. Twenty percent […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

Navalny Verdict Dominates Russian News, Social Networks

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Navalny file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, July 18, 2013) ­ Russian public figures and foreign diplomats on Thursday weighed in on the five-year jail sentence handed down to anti-Kremlin activist Alexei Navalny, with opinions ranging from grim pessimism among liberals and “disappointment” from the U.S. ambassador to mixed forecasts by economic analysts and claims of a fair trial by pro-Kremlin pundits. – […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Russia’s New Digital Vigilantes

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – July 10, 2013) MOSCOW — It’s sort of a freelance sting operation aimed at suspected pedophiles. And it works like this: An activist logs into an Internet chat forum and poses as a minor. If an adult man shows interest and suggests inappropriate contact, he is gently warned that his interlocutor is underage. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

On Intolerance to “Others”: An Ideological Portrait of Modern Russia

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Boris Bruk – June 3, 2013) The principal idea that consolidates different parts of Russian society is xenophobia and intolerance to “others.” Such, at least, was the conclusion of a new study on Russia’s “ideological portrait.” IMR Advisor Boris Bruk, who has analyzed the study, is skeptical about predictions of a “fascist” future […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,
1 2 3 4 5