VK is a popular social networking website in Europe (particularly in Russia and Ukraine). It’s thought of and used as the countries’ Russian speaking version of Facebook. Users can save and listen to music, upload photos, follow other users, organize events, and chat through VK Chat. VK Chat can be used online or downloaded onto smartphones and other devices.
Recently, though, VK has been shut down by the Ukrainian government and its users have been left reeling and unsure what to do now.
Why was VK shut down? According to Ukrainian officials, the decision was made to deter Russian cyberattacks. The decision was to ban some Russian social media sites in order to protect Ukrainian citizens from cyberattacks and viruses. The sites that were banned include VK.
Despite the reasons given for the ban, many VK users are against the choice. Lilya Deriy of Kiev, Ukraine, claims that the ban is life changing and is comparable to the situation in which you find out that your beloved pet has passed away.
Others, however, are on board with the ban after having their secure information stolen from Ukrainian servers. Lyubov Velichko, a journalist who lives in Kiev, claims that he stopped using Russian based social media sites in 2010 after his personal letters were stolen from his email account at mail.ru.
He goes on to say that he supports the decision to ban Russian websites, and had previously deleted his VK account for fear that his personal chats might be tracked by Russian spies.
Also despite the ban, there are ways for VK users to get around the ban. There are always ways for dedicated fans to continue doing and sing what they love- a fact that the Ukrainian government knows to be true but has chosen not to comment on. Bypassing the rules is part of the modern Internet experience, and can’t be totally stopped.
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Regardless of whether the decision to ban VK was good or bad, it has been done and there are reasons to back up the choice. Many experts believe that the ban was long overdue and will help the Ukranian economy and boost safety among the Ukranian population.
If your favorite social media platform was banned for security reasons, would you be supportive or would you fight against the choice?
