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The invasion of Ukraine is adding heat to a long-simmering battle for control of global standards bodies, a rivalry that has pitted the U.S. and Europe against Russia and China.

Why it matters: Global standards ensure that things like smartphones and laptops — and even the internet itself — work across borders.

"Standard bodies are essential to ensure interoperability which is critical to achieving 'economies of scale' and technology reach the masses," wireless consultant Chetan Sharma told Axios. 

"Geopolitical tensions have a real prospect of splintering the Internet and the wireless industry and the emergence of completely decoupled supply chains and ecosystems around the world," Sharma said.

The big picture: Advancing global standards is also a key domestic priority, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Axios. “If we have learned anything from our experience rolling out 5G, it’s that wireless policy matters for economic ​growth and national security. "

Driving the news: Tensions were high ahead of Russia's invasion, as evidenced by the high-stakes battle over who will be the next head of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the telecommunications agency of the UN. 

The U.S. has been backing Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who has more than 28 years experience at the ITU, and would be the first female secretary-general of the ITU, as well as the first U.S. leader since the 1960s. 

Others have lined up behind Russia's Rashid Ismailov, who previously worked as a vice minister of the Russian government and Huawei, as well as Nokia and Ericsson.

At an ITU standards meeting last month, a majority of countries voted to exclude Russians from leadership (vice chair and chair) of all standards-setting committees. (Yes, but: That doesn't directly impact Rashid Ismailov's candidacy for secretary-general of the ITU.)

Between the lines: The West has dominated contributions as well as the roadmap of key internet and telecom industry bodies over the last four decades, Sharma said. 

In recent years, though, China has seen how leadership in standards-setting can translate into market success and has been actively working to get voting and chair positions on various standards committees.

The standards for 5G and basic internet protocols are now set in stone, Sharma said, but the battle is underway to influence the standards of 6G. 

The US, for example, recently created the Next G Alliance, while China has has made proposals to replace today's TCP/IP internet protocol with a more centralized "New IP." 

Western governments worry that could give authoritarian regimes more control over Internet traffic in their countries.

"It is important that we work with our partner nations and use our collective leverage to shape how communications networks develop and ensure that new technologies honor democratic principles and human rights," Rosenworcel said. "When we lock arms with other like-minded nations, we are stronger.”

Yes, but: Different standards need not fracture global telecommunications as long as there are pathways to interoperability, says David Gross, a former ambassador for international communications policy and partner at Wiley Rein. 

By the same token, common standards may not be enough to preserve a global Internet — since there are other means by which countries are already limiting access.

A splintering of either standards or policies could raise the cost of providing internet service, thus slowing the growth of the Internet among the three billion people who lack sufficient access, Gross said.

"If you have global standards it lowers the cost of equipment, all things being equal, so that billions more people can be connected," Gross said.

What's next: The ITU secretary-general election is scheduled for early fall, in a secret ballot with each of 193 member countries getting a single vote at a conference in Bucharest.

While it stands to reason that Russia's invasion could hurt the country's candidate, supporters of Bogdan-Martin say it is too soon to declare victory.

Another potential casualty of Ukraine war: global tech standards

It's the U.S. and allies versus Russia and China all over again, this time in international telecom rulemaking.

Illustration of scissors cutting cords connected to various computers

Big Tech

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

An ominous part of social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram is the proliferation of beauty filters, which subtly and realistically make you look more attractive.

Think fuller lips, thinner faces, lighter eyes and even the appearance of makeup.

Why it matters: These filters promote a certain beauty standard — and can quickly erode someone's sense of self-worth and confidence, especially when it comes to young people.

Case in point: Beauty filters are usually a choice — users can switch them on and off. But a recent bug on TikTok left users stuck on a beautifying effect, MIT Tech Review senior editor Abby Ohlheiser reports.

The filter, which couldn't be switched off for some days, was forcibly altering people's appearances when they made videos. TikTok eventually addressed the bug.

But, as Ohlheiser notes, even a temporary glitch can cause great psychological harm when an app has 1 billion users.

The big picture: If someone looks even a few percentage points better, they can get hooked on apps and filters, experts say.

The rise of fake beauty

These filters can quickly erode young peoples' sense of self worth.

Animated illustration of a hand swiping to view different lipstick colors.

TikTok

Amazon workers at a second Staten Island warehouse will vote in a union election in late April, labor union officials for the company said Friday. 

Why it matters: The election is part of a wave of labor organizing at Amazon facilities across the U.S. Another Staten Island warehouse is already set to hold an in-person union vote from March 25 to 30.  

Details: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) approved the second union election earlier this month.

Workers will be able to vote in-person at the warehouse every day from April 25 to 29, except for April 26, an NLRB spokesperson told Axios.

Votes are scheduled to be counted on May 2.

Second Amazon warehouse on Staten Island to hold union vote

The election is part of a wave of labor organizing at Amazon facilities across the U.S.

Photo of people holding signs that call for unionizing against Amazon

Amazon workers and supporters hold signs after filing a petition requesting an election to form a union outside the National Labor Relations Board regional office in New York City on Oct. 25, 2021. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Amazon

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Amazon closed its $8.45 billion deal with Hollywood studio MGM on Thursday, after the deadline for a lawsuit from U.S. regulators expired.

Why it matters: The merger will give Amazon — and Prime customers — access to MGM's content, including the James Bond franchise.

What they're saying: Amazon said in a blog post all MGM employees will join the company, which will be part of Prime Video and Amazon Studios.

Between the lines: Amazon moved forward with closing the deal after the deadline for the Federal Trade Commission to challenge the merger expired.

The FTC is led by Amazon-critic Lina Khan, but currently deadlocked at two Democrats and two Republicans, so it's unclear she had the votes to sue.

The European Commission signed off on the acquisition earlier this week, saying it would not reduce competition.

The intrigue: An FTC spokesperson raised the prospect of an eventual challenge from the agency in a statement.

"The FTC does not comment on any particular matters," the spokesperson said in a statement. "However, we reiterate that the Commission does not approve transactions and may challenge a deal at any time if it determines that it violates the law."

The FTC announced last summer it would send letters warning that deal consummation occurs at companies' own risk if the agency cannot fully investigate within its deadlines.

The FTC and Amazon declined comment on whether there was such a letter in this case.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comment from the FTC.

Amazon closes MGM deal

Amazon moved forward with the merger after the deadline for a challenge from U.S. regulators expired

Illustration of Amazon "A" made from film negatives.

Facebook and Instagram have loosened some hate speech restrictions as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, parent company Meta said Thursday.

Driving the news: "[W]e have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders,'" a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. "We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians."

Details: The policy change will allow users in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine to issue calls for violence against Russian soldiers, Reuters first reported Thursday.

Users in those regions will also be allowed to use language targeting Russians in posts that clearly denote the context of the invasion.

Calls for the deaths of Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko will be permitted unless the posts include other targets or two indicators of credibility, such as location, according to internal emails obtained by Reuters.

The big picture: Russia blocked Facebook entirely last week and has made similar crackdowns on other Western tech companies.

Several social media platforms, including Meta, Google and Twitter, have announced restrictions on Russian state media accounts.

What they're saying: "We demand that 🇺🇸 authorities stop the extremist activities of @Meta," the Russian Embassy in D.C. tweeted late Thursday.

Representatives for Meta and the Biden administration did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

 Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the Russian Embassy.

Facebook, Instagram loosen some hate speech restrictions amid Russian invasion

Parent Meta is temporarily allowing "forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech."

Photo of a phone screen that shows the Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp apps

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

As sanctions clamp down on Russia, some of the biggest names in tech have halted new product sales in the country entirely, including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Adobe. 

Why it matters: The move is clearly significant, but experts say it won't mean a massive financial hit for the companies. Plus it ensures compliance with sanctions and avoids the challenges of getting paid within a fractured financial system.

A growing number of tech firms have said they are suspending shipments to Russia, including companies that the country relies on for both tech components and products including smartphones, PCs and servers.

Samsung, which is among the leading smartphone brands in Russia, said it has stopped Russian shipments of both devices as well as components, such as computer chips. Apple and Dell are halting sales, as has chipmaker Intel and software giant Microsoft.

A number of financial services companies, from credit card issuers Visa and MasterCard to fintech players like PayPal, have also suspended business in Russia. 

Between the lines: The financial impact for the tech companies is modest, while the impact on Russia is likely to be significant as the country relies heavily on U.S.-made tech products.

Economic sanctions drove some of the decisions, although in some cases, companies went further than they were required by law.

TECHnalysis Research analyst Bob O'Donnell: "While I doubt the halt of Russian sales will be permanent, I could see it lasting beyond the end of the war, which would be very detrimental to Russian businesses and the overall economy."

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter: "I think everyone jumped on the bandwagon because of the fight between democracy and autocracy, and the fact that this was unprovoked. Other conflicts arguably had some 'rational' explanation."

Yes, but: Having shown a willingness to halt business in Russia, tech companies are likely to face pressure in future conflicts. 

However, several industry insiders and analysts said the unique nature of Russia's invasion, as well as the presence of international sanctions, will give companies plenty of room to sidestep demands for a repeat performance in future conflicts. 

Go deeper: The global companies that are abandoning Russia, and why

Inside tech companies' unprecedented move to suspend sales in Russia

The withdrawal could hit Russia's economy hard without significantly denting companies' bottom lines.

A view of the Samsung Electronics plant in the Vorsino industrial park. 

A view of the Samsung Electronics plant in the Vorsino industrial park. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/TASS via Getty Images

SpaceX's latest adversary in its plans to launch a new fleet of satellites to beam internet from space is the U.S. government.

Why it matters: SpaceX has withstood attacks from powerhouse competitors like Amazon in the internet space race, but now must overcome warnings from NASA that its fleet of second-generation satellites could hamper asteroid detection work.

What's happening: SpaceX wants to launch up to 30,000 satellites for its Starlink internet service to improve the speeds and service from the roughly 2,000 satellites currently deployed in its first-generation network.

SpaceX has begun building the second-generation satellites, or Gen2, in anticipation of launching as early as March.

Yes, but: The company is facing headwinds at both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FCC oversees SpaceX use of the airwaves for beaming its signals while the FAA has to give the company permission to operate its Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle.

"The completion of the environmental review will not guarantee that the FAA will issue a license for SpaceX to launch its Starship/Super Heavy vehicle," the FAA said in a statement to Axios. "SpaceX's license application must also meet FAA safety, risk and financial responsibility requirements."

At the FCC, SpaceX is taking heat from its usual foes — Amazon's rival satellite internet company, Project Kuiper, and other satellite companies — but also from NASA.

In a Feb. 8 filing, NASA warned the increase in satellites could have "a detrimental effect on our planet’s ability to detect and possibly redirect a potentially catastrophic impact" from an asteroid because satellite streaks  would likely appear on imagery used to detect asteroids.

The agency also said the sheer number of satellites "inherently brings additional risk of debris-generating collision events based on the number of objects alone."

"Space traffic coordination is a key area of concern for NASA as the agency looks to protect its important missions in highly populated orbits," the agency said in a statement to Axios.

The other side: In a Feb. 22 blog post, SpaceX said its satellites are designed to automatically maneuver to avoid collisions and its system has been rated as trustworthy by NASA.

"If there is a greater than 1/100,000 probability of collision (10x lower than the industry standard of 1/10,000) for a conjunction, satellites will plan avoidance maneuvers," SpaceX said in the post.

The company told the FCC last week that it continues to work with NASA. "SpaceX is confident that its ongoing partnership with NASA will continue to yield additional enhancements that will make space operations even safer in the future."

Meanwhile, the FAA received a deluge of more than 19,000 comments when it sought feedback on its environmental assessment of SpaceX's Starship launch program in Boca Chica, Texas.

The agency originally planned to complete its review in February, but has moved the target date to March 28.

The big picture: SpaceX has had a close relationship with NASA, which awarded the company a $2.89 billion contract to build a spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon last year.

But that relationship hasn't seemed to help it avoid regulatory hurdles.

Separately, Ukrainian officials requested Elon Musk's help in using Starlink's network on Saturday after the Russian military's unprovoked military invasion left parts of the country offline.

Musk responded on Twitter that Starlink terminals were "en route" and, on Monday, Ukrainian First Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov appeared to share a picture of the delivered terminals on Twitter.

Editor's note: This story originally published on March 1. 

New SpaceX satellites snarled by red tape

SpaceX wants to launch up to 30,000 satellites for its Starlink internet service.

Illustration of a roll of red tape in a tape dispenser. 

SpaceX

Microsoft will suspend all new sales of its products and services in Russia in response to the country's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the company announced Friday.

The big picture: Microsoft is the latest company to abandon Russia and condemn its attack on Ukraine, following financial sanctions imposed by governments in an effort to isolate it from the rest of the world.

What they're saying: "In addition, we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement.

"We believe we are most effective in aiding Ukraine when we take concrete steps in coordination with the decisions being made by these governments and we will take additional steps as this situation continues to evolve," he added.

"Like so many others, we stand with Ukraine in calling for the restoration of peace, respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and the protection of its people."

Between the lines: Smith also said the company will continue to work with Ukrainian officials to help defend against Russian cybersecurity attacks, adding that they "violate the Geneva Convention," which sets limits on traditional warfare.

Microsoft suspends new sales in Russia over invasion of Ukraine

Microsoft is the latest company to abandon Russia and condemn its attack on Ukraine.

Photo: Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Microsoft

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

Apple on Tuesday introduced a sweeping set of measures in response to Russia’s escalating war with Ukraine, including pausing product sales in the country and removing Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik News from its App Store.

Why it matters: Apple has taken some of the most aggressive measures in response to the war of any American tech company so far.

Details: In addition to halting product sales, Apple said it stopped all exports into its sales channel in Russia last week. 

It also disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine "as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens."

Apple Pay and other services have also been limited, Apple notes.

What they’re saying: “We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence,” Apple said in a statement.

“We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.”

Be smart: Removing RT and Sputnik from its App Store is one of the most aggressive efforts to de-platform Russian state media by a Big Tech company so far.

Most other tech software companies have blocked Russian state media in the EU, where regulators have demanded they do so, or taken steps to reduce its distribution globally. Most haven’t made it inaccessible globally. 

Google Maps on Sunday also temporarily disabled live traffic data in Ukraine. 

Apple has roughly a 15% market share of smartphones in Russia, a country with around 100 million smartphone users.  

The big picture: Apple follows a slew of companies that have pulled their commercial operations from Russia over the past few days, citing Russia’s escalating war with Ukraine.

What's next: In a statement, Apple said it will join all those around the world who are calling for peace.

Apple halts product sales in Russia

Apple has taken some of the most aggressive measures in response to the war so far.

Apple

Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith wrote in a blog post Monday that recent cyberattacks on Ukraine's civilian digital infrastructure "raise serious concerns under the Geneva Convention."

Why it matters: U.S. officials have warned that cyberattacks will play a key role in Russia's invasion, but Smith's words hint that targeting civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes under the convention, which sets limits on traditional warfare, CNN's Brian Fung notes.

Tech giants that provide services around the world prefer not to take sides in conflicts where they operate in both combatants' territory, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine is making that stance tough to maintain, writes Axios' Sara Fischer.

State of play: Smith said that Microsoft's Threat Intelligence Center detected a "new round of offensive and destructive cyberattacks" targeting Ukraine's digital infrastructure hours before Russian military movement on Feb. 24.

The company notified the Ukrainian government and has since provided "threat intelligence and defensive suggestions" relating to attacks on targets including Ukrainian military institutions and other government agencies.

What he's saying: "These recent and ongoing cyberattacks have been precisely targeted, and we have not seen the use of the indiscriminate malware technology that spread across Ukraine's economy and beyond its borders in the 2017 NotPetya attack," Smith wrote.

"But we remain especially concerned about recent cyberattacks on Ukrainian civilian digital targets, including the financial sector, agriculture sector, emergency response services, humanitarian aid efforts, and energy sector organizations and enterprises," he added. 

"These attacks on civilian targets raise serious concerns under the Geneva Convention," he said. The convention considers it a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against civilian populations or civilian objects.

Worth noting: Microsoft has removed state-sponsored RT and Sputnik content from its platform and is de-ranking their search results on Bing so links will only show up when a user is looking for those pages directly, according to Smith.

Smith has previously advocated for a Geneva Convention for cybersecurity.

Microsoft: Cyberattacks on Ukraine "raise serious concerns" under Geneva Convention

The convention considers it a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against civilian populations or civilian objects.

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft. Photo: S3studio/Getty Images

Axios AM

Meta will reinstate former President Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts "in coming weeks" following a two-year suspension, according to Nick Clegg, the company's president, global affairs.

Why it matters: The decision sets a new precedent for how the company treats world leaders, and it could change the trajectory of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

"We've always believed that Americans should be able to hear from the people who want to lead the country," Clegg told Axios. "We don't want to stand in the way of that."

Flashback: Facebook, along with Twitter and many other social media platforms, barred Trump soon after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol for breaking their rules and over fears of further incitements to violence. 

The big picture: The reinstatement of Trump's accounts will allow him to run ads via his Facebook and Instagram pages, which have 34 million and 23 million followers, respectively.

Trump relied heavily on Facebook ads in previous election cycles for fundraising and list-building. 

Under Elon Musk, Twitter has also reinstated Trump's account, but he has not posted yet, continuing to rely on his account at Truth Social instead.

Yes, but: Trump will be subject to new policies that Meta has created following feedback from its independent Oversight Board that could restrict his accounts — including his ability to run ads — should he violate the company's policies in the future.

"We just do not want — if he is to return to our services — for him to do what he did on January 6, which is to use our services to delegitimize the 2024 election, much as he sought to discredit the 2020 election," Clegg said. 

His accounts will not be reinstated immediately, Clegg said, because Meta's engineers will need time to build out some of the new functionality necessary to restrict certain posts or ad capabilities in the future, if needed. 

How it works: Trump will be subject to new policies around restricting accounts by public figures during civil unrest. Under those policies, Meta can decide to restrict the account of a public figure that violates its community standards for a time ranging from one month to two years.

Trump will also be subject to a crisis policy protocol, introduced by Meta in August, that will consider both on and off-platform risks of imminent harm to evaluating whether the actions or speech of any public figures requires sanctioning.

"If he now posts further violating content, that content will be removed, of course, and he could be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation," Clegg said.

Be smart: For actions or speech that don't explicitly violate Meta's community standards, Clegg said the company will retain discretion to take action, and may enforce different types of guardrails, including limiting the distribution of posts without removing them or temporarily restricting access to its advertising tools.

"Oblique references to QAnon content, for instance ... is the kind of material that — even if it's done obliquely, and doesn't violate our community standards — we would seek to restrict the distribution of the content and/or restrict his ability to advertise," he said. 

These steps would allow content to remain visible on Trump's account but not get distributed in users' feeds, even for those that follow the former president.

For example, Meta may opt to remove the "re-share" button from such posts, and may stop them from being recommended or run as ads. 

Of note: If Trump posts content that violates the company's standards, but falls within Meta's characterization of "newsworthy content" — meaning the public interest in understanding what Trump said outweighs any potential harm — the company may opt to restrict the distribution of the content but leave it up. 

What they're saying: After Axios reported the news of Facebook's decision, Trump, in a post at Truth Social, said, "FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since 'deplatforming' your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President..."

Between the lines: Clegg said Meta did not speak with Trump or any of his associates leading up to the decision being made and has no insight as to whether he plans to use his accounts once reinstated.

"We saw that his team had written to us publicly — I think they were asking for a meeting with Mark and myself and Joel [Kaplan]. That meeting did not take place," Clegg said, referring to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Meta vice president for U.S. public policy Joel Kaplan. 

Trump was not briefed on the decision to lift his suspension before it was made public, Clegg said. He noted that the company will "always make ourselves available to explain and emphasize the policies that we've laid out."

"I think it would help if Donald Trump's team was as well informed as possible about where these lines are drawn and how these guardrails will operate," Clegg said.

"This whole process was really about our decision on our terms," he noted.  

Catch up quick: Meta initially banned Trump from posting on his Facebook and Instagram accounts for at least two weeks following the Capitol attack, until President Biden's inauguration.

Several months later — in response to guidance from Facebook's independent Oversight Board to revisit its decision — the company said Trump's ban would last two years, beginning with his initial suspension on Jan. 7, 2021.

Meta has been the subject of criticism from both the right and left over how it handles content moderation, especially over its handling of noteworthy figures during times of crisis or unrest.

Conservatives have alleged that the company's ban of Trump and others' accounts constitutes censorship, while progressives have argued that Meta hasn't done enough to stop the spread of dangerous misinformation in real time. 

To help shield Zuckerberg from some of that pressure and criticism, the company promoted Clegg last year to a new role that gives him complete oversight of policy decisions, like the one to reinstate Trump's account. 

Clegg said the decision to bring Trump back was "not remotely" made for business reasons. "In general terms, it's not great for business to be, you know, dragged into and embroiled in controversy," he said.

The bottom line: "I am the the ultimate decision maker on these kinds of issues in the company," Clegg said.

Exclusive: Facebook to reinstate Trump

The decision will end a two-year ban and allow Trump to post and raise money using the platforms.

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