Twitter announced Thursday that it will ban all advertisements from news organizations Russia Today and Sputnik, effective immediately.
Twitter officials said the move comes in response to the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the two Russian news agencies were involved in election interference last year on behalf of the Russian government.
RT has responded with an article detailing how Twitter representatives pitched the Russian-backed news agency a “large sum advertising proposal” filled with “perks and bonuses.” The outlet also claims to have declined the proposal and denies any kind of election meddling or peddling any deliberate misinformation.
Business Insider reported that Twitter has been the focus of Senate Intelligence Committee hearings concerning how Russia used the social media platform to push misinformation and propaganda during the 2016 presidential election.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said called Twitter's response during the first hearing “deeply disappointing” and “frankly inadequate.”
Twitter has promised to donate the projected $1.9 million they would have earned from RT global ads to “support external research into the use of Twitter in civic engagement and elections, including use of malicious automation and misinformation, with an initial focus on elections and automation.”
The social media giant is also set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee again regarding how Russia exploited its website during the election.
(Cover photo: Sole Treadmill)