Belarusian and russian propagandists operate freely on social media despite the existing sanctions

The report, is based on cases reported by Science Feedback, Alliance4Europe, Democracy Reporting International, Logically Facts, Alliance for Securing Democracy – German Marshall Fund, Prose Intelligence, Södertörn University and the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU). The Counter Disinformation Network created a report that combines over 30 civil society initiatives, universities, news organizations, fact-checking entities, and independent experts, primarily from Europe and North America.

Previous reports from 2024 have highlighted the presence of sanctioned entities on Meta, Google, TikTok, Telegram, and X. These findings were shared with the platforms. However, the content identified in these reports was not removed from the sites, except TikTok.

Approximately 370 new potential sanctions violations were identified in addition to the previous 250. These mainly involved profiles on social media platforms with a combined total of over 23 million followers.

Across all platforms except TikTok, 83% of accounts belonging to sanctioned organizations or individuals remain accessible in the EU, even though they have been reported for sharing prohibited content. In contrast, 48% of "unofficial" propagandists were not accessible to users in the EU and continued to publish such content.

New cases of sanctions evasion have been observed, indicating that this issue is widespread and that the measures implemented by platforms to address it are inadequate. The report also highlights that tech companies are more successful in addressing copyright infringements.

Many propaganda accounts, including sanctioned ones, will likely benefit from specific platforms' monetization programs, such as revenue from advertising on Telegram and YouTube or subscriptions on Facebook. It allows them to find alternative funding sources.

"Given the ease with which such illegal content was discovered, Meta, Google, X/Twitter, TikTok and Telegram’s compliance teams should investigate why they seem not to have taken sufficient actions to limit access", - the report says.

Regarding sanctioned Belarusian entities and individuals, the most prominent state media channels from Belarus operate officially and smoothly across all platforms in the EU. Ninety potential violations have been identified. Additionally, Belarusian entities may feel more secure regarding operations than their russian counterparts.

"Although the legal regime is the same for the two countries, Belarusian sanctions have attracted significantly less public scrutiny than those that apply to russian actors. This mismatch offers an interesting test of the extent to which platforms take proactive steps to comply with the EU sanctions regime in the absence of publicity", - says the report.

On all the platforms studied, with a partial exception of TikTok, the official accounts of the most prominent sanctioned Belarusian media are publicly accessible, and the signs of moderation detected are very few. The document states that other sanctioned non-media entities, particularly those involved in producing military equipment, have a significant presence on these platforms. This situation likely violates the EU's ban on providing such entities with financial resources. It is also noted that "Belarusian sanctions are a blank spot in terms of the platforms' compliance with EU sanctions."

"Given the widespread nature of the phenomenon and the prominence of the accounts found, it appears that the EU sanctions regime on Belarusian actors has been largely ignored" – the report's authors emphasize.

The document highlights that Belarusian media, facing sanctions, specifically aims its content at European audiences. For instance, accounts belonging to Belteleradiokompania have been found creating content in Lithuanian and Polish. Additionally, on the Radio Belarus account, there is a video alleging that the CIA, MI6, and Mossad orchestrated the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine during 2013-2014. There are statements by fugitive Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt claiming that Poland fuels the war in Ukraine. Additionally, a video provides instructions for Polish citizens on obtaining Belarusian citizenship.

The official app of Belteleradiokompania, which has been on the EU sanctions list since 2022, is still available in the Google Play Store within the EU and has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times. This app offers live streaming of leading Belarusian state propaganda TV channels, including Channels 1, 2, 3, and 5. Additionally, the app continues to receive updates; the most recent update occurred in October 2024.

"This raises significant privacy concerns, as it could potentially grant Belarusian state actors access to European users’ personal data, including names, phone numbers, and other analytics information", - the report said.

Among the Belarusian companies not subject to sanctions, the profile of 140 Remontny Zavod can be found on media platforms. Their videos showcase the production and repair of armored vehicles, including various types of outdated Soviet equipment russia uses in the war against Ukraine. The Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant maintains a presence on social media in the EU. In 2024 alone, it supplied the russian military-industrial complex with 200 wheeled vehicle wagons and parts.

Source: EN.Belsat