Media reports claim British intelligence services have been tracking the Russian equivalent to the gay dating site Grinder as well as the Russian version of Facebook. Soldiers' online chatter has provided insight into Russian plans. Online apps have been caught up in the fray. Google Reviews of random restaurants and shops in Russia have Ukrainians posting “Terrific service but my day was ruined by the Russian bombings of civilians in the Ukraine.” The reviews circumvent state-run Russian media and communicate directly with Russian civilians who might be unaware or unable to access independent or credible news reports. Most users chalked this up to robots but there is no way to know.Īs the battle for Tik Tok bogged down, Ukrainians opened up a new cyber front, Google Reviews. Tons of pro-Russian sentiment flooded Tik Tok. As the war entered the second week the Russians countered this. The videos were all from the Ukrainian side and the comments were too. In the first days of the war Tik Tok was flooded with Ukrainian posts and the worldwide support was overwhelming. All before the Ukrainian government could ask for help. All before Vladimir Putin had announced the war. A quick check of satellite imagery by Capella space allowed us to see massive columns of tanks. Roads heading from Russia into Ukraine lit up in red, letting us know there was a "traffic jam" at 3.15 am.
The app captured road closures, heavy traffic, and suspended subway service. Using real time data from smartphones, Google Maps let us know the Russians had invaded Ukraine. The invasion of Ukraine has shown how connected we all are.
This conflict is the first one of this scale to unfold online, in real time, and unfiltered. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has featured on every social media platform.