Reviewing War: Unconventional User Reviews as a Side Channel to Circumvent Information Controls

TL;DR

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, pro-Ukrainian groups used unconventional methods like user reviews on platforms such as Google Maps and Tripadvisor to bypass censorship and spread war-related information.

Contribution

This study provides the first analysis of how users creatively used unconventional online channels to circumvent state censorship during a conflict.

Findings

Users shared humanitarian and travel advice alongside disinformation.

Platforms responded with moderation efforts impacting information flow.

War messages were effectively channeled through user reviews and social networks.

Abstract

During the first days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's media regulator blocked access to many global social media platforms and news sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and the BBC. To bypass the information controls set by Russian authorities, pro-Ukrainian groups explored unconventional ways to reach out to the Russian population, such as posting war-related content in the user reviews of Russian business available on Google Maps or Tripadvisor. This paper provides a first analysis of this new phenomenon by analyzing the creative strategies to avoid state censorship. Specifically, we analyze reviews posted on these platforms from the beginning of the conflict to September 2022. We measure the channeling of war messages through user reviews in Tripadvisor and Google Maps, as well as in VK, a popular Russian social network. Our analysis of the content posted on these services reveals that users leveraged these platforms to seek and exchange humanitarian and travel advice, but also to disseminate disinformation and polarized messages. Finally, we analyze the response of platforms in terms of content moderation and their impact.