Ecwid, a leading provider of social commerce solutions for small businesses, has just secured $42 million from Morgan Stanley and PeakSpan Capital. Using 54 languages to serve 1.5 million businesses across the world, Ecwid has made a long way since it was born in Ulyanovsk, 720 km east from Moscow, 10 years ago. Now headquartered …
Russian-born social commerce major raises $42 million in Silicon Valley Read More
Residents of Rostov-on-Don held a virtual rally against self-isolation restrictions on April 20, using the “Conversations” tool on the mobile apps Yandex.Maps and Yandex.Navigator. During the virtual rally, locals dropped pins near the regional government building and wrote messages about the impact of self-isolation orders, ranging from lost jobs to ineligibility for social assistance. In general, participants demanded one of …
Virtual anti-lockdown protests mount in several Russian cities Read More
Social-media giants Facebook and Twitter say they have removed a number of Russia-linked fake accounts that targeted U.S. users from their operations in Ghana and Nigeria. Facebook on March 12 said the accounts it removed were in the “early stages” of building an audience on behalf of individuals in Russia, posting on topics such as …
Facebook, Twitter remove Russia-linked fake accounts targeting Americans Read More
Since late 2019, Russian Orthodox priests have been spotted actively using TikTok, with some videos gathering over 500,000 views. A number of users of the new social network are unhappy with their presence, but the clergymen appear resolute about TikTok being the future for reaching young people. The first popular Orthodox Christian channel on TikTok …
What are Russian Orthodox priests doing on TikTok? Read More
Scams on Facebook and Instagram designed to look like they’re from prominent people in Russia aren’t rare. Last fall, Russian users reported multiple announcements featuring photographs of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is now working to launch his own blockchain platform. Scammers started a massive ad campaign in Durov’s name, using the slogan “I won’t let Russians …
On Facebook and Instagram, fake ad campaigns twist the name of Russian celebrities Read More
Facebook has taken down 78 Russian-based accounts and pages spreading misinformation in Ukraine and neighboring countries on behalf of their government. The company reported on Feb.12 that three unconnected networks of accounts originating from Russia, Iran, Vietnam and Myanmar were removed for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” and “foreign or government interference.” According to the report, 11 pages, 29 …
Facebook removes dozens of Russian accounts spreading propaganda in Ukraine Read More
Some 200 Telegram channels distribute illegal copies of books, accounting for a total audience is 2 million people. This estimate was provided by according to Maxim Ryabyko, Head of the Russian Association of Internet Rights Protection (AZAPI), in an exchange with business daily Vedomosti. Pavel Durov’s instant messenger is now one of the largest sources …
A Russian man is seeking more than $15,000 in damages from Apple after claiming that the U.S. tech giant drove him to homosexuality, the Govorit Moskva radio station has reported. The plaintiff, identified as D. Razumilov, alleges that he became “mired in same-sex relationships” this summer after receiving 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app …
Russian iPhone user sues Apple for turning him gay Read More
Russia has two homegrown social networks, VKontakte (VK) and Odnoklassniki (OK), which both grew with financial support of Israeli-Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Now properties of LSE-listed Mail.ru Group, these sites have shaped Russia’s social media landscape and still dominate the market far ahead of Facebook. This video is part of “Holy War,” a seven-episode series …
How Russia’s social media VK and OK grew and made Yuri Milner even richer Read More
Facebook and Twitter have been given nine months by Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, to move Russian users’ data onto servers located physically on Russia soil. As reported yesterday by the Interfax news agency, Roskomnadzor’s head Alexander Zharov expressed “hope” that the two companies will comply with Russian legislation on personal data storage, and …
Facebook and Twitter given nine more months to comply with Russian data-localization law Read More
Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian Internet giant, is testing a social service called ‘Yandex.Aura’ (see presentation page). The news was confirmed by Yandex to East-West Digital News after being commented abundantly in Russian media and social networks. However, the company did not specify the planned date of Aura’s public release. Currently, Aura is in beta testing …
Yandex experiments new social service with AI features Read More
Facebook said on Tuesday it has removed more accounts from Iran, Russia, Macedonia and Kosovo, citing what it described as sources of spam or “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” A total of 2,632 pages, groups, and accounts were removed from Facebook and Instagram. Of these accounts, 1,907 were tied to Russia, Facebook stated.
