Social media crackdowns during the war in Ukraine make the internet less global
The power of TikTok, Telegram and other tech companies is challenging the power of the state
A woman checks her phone in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 18, after shelling by Russian forces. Social media can provide citizens real-time, accurate information to make decisions such as whether to search for food or flee from fighting.
Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via AP
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, people around the world have watched the war play out in jarring detail — at least, in countries with open access to social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and the messaging app Telegram.