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Laura Howells 20

Furthermore, a Russian court has alsobannedFacebook and Instagram, while access to Twitter has been severely restricted, say Henry and Howells, who coauthored a peer-reviewed academic article on the subject in December 2021.

Such efforts by the Russian authorities to stem the free flow of information are being unwittingly assisted by outside actors, we are told. International sanctions, combined with corporate self-sanctioning by technology companies like Apple, Netflix, Spotify, and Microsoft, run the risk of ceding the information space to the Kremlin.

Cutting off Russian users from international platforms makes it easier for the Kremlin to isolate the Russian public from all but its carefully-crafted narratives When it comes to the digital sphere, the article concludes, supporters of Ukraine should instead be seeking smart sanctions that prioritize average Russians ability to access alternative media and services rather than inadvertently making digital authoritarianism even more possible for the Russian government. Read the full article.

As a Fulbright researcher in Estonia, I am studying educational interventions for increasing public resilience against political mis/disinformation. I also collaborate with localscholars in a study to analyze the trajectory of official Russian discourse on the Baltics and Ukraine.I plan to build on these research themes, and more broadly the concept of information politics, in my PhD studies in the Department of Politics at Princeton this fall.

Living in Estonia, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has given me a unique vantage point in the region at a pivotal time. As a formerly Soviet-occupied state which also shares a border with Russia, Estonia has long warned the world of Russias territorial aspirations and manipulative information tactics. Being able to observe Estonias position on these issues firsthand has informed my work immensely and in ways I will cherish for years to come.

Laura Howells 20

Read more:
Laura Henry and Laura Howells '20 on Controlling Russia's Information Space - Bowdoin College