February 24, 2022 is a date the whole world will remember. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has resulted in actions taken by individuals from many countries as well as brands operating in various industries. Over the past few weeks, we've heard reports of new companies removing products from Russia and Belarus from their shelves, brands suspending business in Russia, and various aid actions (financial support, canceling phone costs, offering free services). Social media became the first place to look for information for people who wanted to get involved in aid.
We can't leave out that important topic in our eCommerce News. For this reason, in the latest part, we focus on how the IT community has rushed to help Ukraine.
#TechForUkraine - instant actions of IT companies
From the very beginning, we have been involved in the Tech To The Rescue movement, where IT companies provide various types of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with free support in implementing digital solutions that increase the impact of an organization. In response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the #TechForUkraine campaign has been instantly launched. Technology companies that have signed up to participate in the campaign are offering free technology support to Ukrainian non-profit organizations and international NGOs providing aid to Ukraine. The digital solutions delivered are intended to help maximize their impact in times of war, especially in coordinating humanitarian aid.
Since the campaign's launch, more than 450 technology companies have offered their help, allowing us to organize the first projects for more than 60 local and international organizations, including:
- a platform where you can find information about verified aid donations and the possibility to offer accommodation to people fleeing Ukraine: https://uasos.org/,
- Map in Ukrainian, Polish and English with marked help points (reception centers, consulates, food banks and others) in Europe: https://dopomoha.pl/,
- NFT fundraising: https://peaceofheart.eu/.
More initiatives are continually being developed in areas such as cyber security, database development, secure communications, asset management systems, donations, and software.
You can still apply to participate in the project. To offer support or submit an application, please visit Tech To The Rescue. To quote the initiator of the movement - “Don't miss your chance to scale up the impact you're making!”.
Internet sites for refugees from Ukraine
In attempt to help those fleeing the war-torn area, IT companies quickly created various online portals. Among them these should be mentioned:
https://ukraina.services - website created by Da Vinci Studio aggregating offers of help for refugees from Ukraine (accommodation, animal actions, transfers, legal advice, psychological advice),
https://uahelp.info/pl - a portal created pro bono by eCommerce specialists, dedicated to Ukrainian people. It provides reliable information such as the rules of entry into Poland, the situation at border crossings, available accommodation and contact to people who can help (lawyers, recruitment agencies).
https://adaid.eu - a platform providing support in finding a job in the creative industry in the EU, aggregating ads from the Polish and foreign markets. It is an initiative of the marketing communication industry (Marketing Communication Association SAR together with its member agencies and partners). The portal offers advertising agencies, media houses, production companies, marketing departments, PR departments and other companies connected with marketing communication.
Ready to fight back against internet "trolls"
On the one hand, social media helped to raise awareness of the events in Ukraine and the possibility of support, on the other hand, unfortunately, they became a breeding ground for Internet trolls who use them to spread disinformation (fake news). IT environment responded to this problem very quickly. Brand24 with Nieagencja and Zenbox.pl created a platform Zgłoś Trolla, on which you can report suspicious content. The creators of the website will analyze the reported content, and then - in case of confirmation of manipulation or spreading fake news - take the next steps (notify the authorities, report to the administration of the social media, etc.).
Moreover, Brand24 has created a special profile on Twitter (twitter.com/przeciw_wojnie), on which they expose bot profiles and publish reports of disinformation.
