Microsoft is joining Facebook, YouTube and others in limiting the reach of Russian state media following the invasion of Ukraine. The company is responding to the European Union’s ban on RT and Sputnik by pulling those outlets from its platforms. Microsoft Start (including MSN) won’t display state-sponsored RT and Sputnik content, while all ads from either publication are banned across Microsoft’s ad network. The software giant is also pulling RT’s news apps from the Windows app store.
Bing will still display RT and Sputnik links. However, Microsoft is “further de-ranking” their search results to make sure the links only appear when someone clearly intends to visit those sites.
The crackdown comes alongside an update on Microsoft’s cybersecurity monitoring in Ukraine. The company noted that its Threat Intelligence Center spotted a wave of “offensive and destructive” cyberattacks…
