Russia’s search giant Yandex has “handed over” Moi Krug, a major professional social network which it acquired back in 2007, to Thematic Media (TM), a publisher of several online tech publications. The transaction was confirmed earlier this month by a Yandex representative to business daily Vedomosti, but no details of the deal have been disclosed. Yandex …
Yandex transfers professional network Moi Krug to Thematic Media Read More
A new protest monitoring system was launched in Russia on May 18, 2015. It is called Laplace’s Demon, in honor of Pierre-Simon Laplace’s 19th century mathematical experiment. The system’s author is scientist Evgeny Venedictov, the director of the Center for Research on Legitimacy and Political Protest. Venedictov does not hide the fact that his creation was inspired …
New protest monitoring system to track Facebook and Twitter Read More
On Friday last week eToro, which presents itself as the world’s largest social investment network for traders, announced its official launch in Russia with fully localized features and support. Pavel Salas, a former executive at Alfa Forex (Alfa-Bank), GKFX and Alpari, has been appointed as head of the Russian office. The company’s stated mission is …
Social investment network eToro launches in Russia Read More
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 as Apple and Google — who previously announced that they were cutting off service to Crimea — …
US social networks, blogs allowed back into Crimea Read More
Is Facebook’s moderation team pro-Russian? Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and Mark Zuckerberg in person got involved in the controversy last week after thousands of Ukrainian users accused the social network of taking down or blocking posts and accounts from Ukraine. These takedowns were politically motivated and the posts were being reported for violations by masses of “Kremlin …
Facebook has deleted a post by Russian LGBT rights activist Lena Klimova, where she published images of people who have sent her death threats, Russian opposition-minded online publication Meduza reported. The full photo album had been first published on VKontakte (VK.com), Russia’s most popular social network, but Klimova also posted excerpts to her Facebook account. On April 21, …
Controversial post by Russian LGBT activist: VKontakte less restrictive than Facebook Read More
Twitter has blocked a satirical account ridiculing Igor Sechin, the powerful head of state-owned Russian oil giant Rosneft and a long time confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The account, @Igor_Sechin, was blocked inside Russia after the state media watchdog Roskomnadzor complained to Twitter that it violated Russian privacy laws. Frequently obscene and ferociously critical of the Kremlin, @Igor_Sechin is among a handful of popular Russian-language Twitter parody …
Houzz, a global website and online community about architecture, interior design and decorating, has launched a Russian version of its website and mobile apps, and opened a representative office in Moscow. The US-based company is starting in Russia with “over 100,000 Russian homeowners and over 3,000 active Russian home professionals,” according to Houzz’s Russian team.
“Facebook is losing traction within the younger generation,” Vkontakte founder and former CEO Pavel Durov told UK magazine Dazed, while Telegram, the messenger which he created in, now attracts 50 million users worldwide. Presenting himself as an advocate of political freedom and tech individualism, Durov also shared his thoughts about Russia’s latest evolutions and his dream …
Digital Society Laboratory (DSL), a Russian developer of Internet-based advertising and analytical applications, has just launched SocialKey Ads, which it presents as a platform to profile and manage ads in Russian social networks. The company invested no less than $3.5 million in the project, reported Russian tech blog Firrma.ru. Inspired by such western solutions as Nanigans, Adobe AdLens and Marin Software, the SocialKey …
SocialKey launches profiled ads on Russian social networks Read More
In yet another step in VKontakte’s strategy to legalize its content, the social network has reached an agreement with Channel One, Russia’s first TV channel. The broadcaster will provide the rights to broadcast its programs and popular shows in exchange for a share of advertising revenues. The news was reported on Wednesday by Russian business …
Russia’s first TV channel and VKontakte agree legalization of video content Read More
Russian Internet giant Yandex has requested that Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service investigate Google for violating Russian legislation, news agency RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday. The regulator now has one month to consider the request from Yandex, Russia’s top search engine and provider of a range of digital services, such as Yandex.Maps and Yandex.Music, a music streaming service.
