As part of Big Internet’s collective attempt to sweep up the mess it helped create during the 2016 election, Twitter is taking a hard look at its advertising platform. Today, the company announced that it’s banning Sputnik and Russia Today (RT) from buying ads on Twitter, after it was revealed that both Russian media outlets were involved in attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. election.
RT and Sputnik won’t be pulled from the service outright, the company says, but rather just be prevented from participating in Twitter’s advertising program. All told, Twitter netted about $1.9 million from ads bought by RT alone–and vowed to spend at least that much on research into the impact its service has on elections and civic engagement.
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