Twitter bans Kaspersky ads

Twitter has decided to no longer allow ads from Russian security company Kaspersky on its platform. CEO Eugene Kaspersky says in a response that he does not understand why Twitter has made this decision.

Twitter confirms to Reuters that it will no longer allow Kaspersky to buy ads. It says the security company “operates a business model that inherently clashes with acceptable business practices within Twitter Ads.” In addition, the company points to a message from the US Department of Homeland Security warning that Kaspersky’s software poses a threat to the national security of the United States. President Donald Trump signed a law in December banning the use of the software by government agencies.

Eugene Kaspersky commented on Twitter’s decision in a blog post on Friday. In it, he writes that his company received the decision in January and that he does not understand Twitter’s reasoning. He says that Kaspersky has not broken any written or unwritten rules and that it follows the same business model as other companies. After Kaspersky wrote a letter to Twitter in February but said he received no substantive response, it has now decided to raise the matter publicly.

Kaspersky further states that his company will no longer advertise on Twitter this year, even though the platform is backing down on its decision. He would donate the corresponding budget for this year to the American civil rights organization EFF. Twitter has previously restricted ads, for example from Russia Today and Sputnik, and for cryptocurrencies.