Global computer software company Adobe is earning money by selling pro-Russian images on Adobe Stock. The list of images includes maps of Ukraine without Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk so-called “Republics”, as well as flags of the territories Russia recently annexed as part of its bloody war against Ukrainian people.
This was reported by Maksym Filipenko oh his X (Twitter) page @MaksymDraws.
- By searching “Donetsk” on Adobe Stock you can find dozens of images with flags and insignia of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. This “Republic” is the one that was created by Russian occupiers in 2014 and is under the US sanctions since 2022.
- Adobe doesn’t explicitly reveal the names of the creators on its platform. However, the Cyrillic names give you a 98% confidence that they come from Russia or the occupied territories.
- Furthermore, according to the terms of the Adobe Stock Contributors bonus program, these creators from Russia receive 33% royalties for publishing those images.
Why is it important?
Despite the claims to leave the Russian market, Adobe continues to deceive its customers by purposefully cooperating with the creators from Russia. Earlier in 2023, it became known that Adobe automatically renews licenses for Russian users free of charge. According to the Russian mass media, the company was doing this “to preserve the loyalty and support of its users in a difficult period.”
Moreover, the images are most surely violating Adobe Stock’s guidelines, as they display the flags and insignia of terrorist ogranizations. “Fun fact: you cannot find the ISIS flag on Adobe Stock, or even the Nazi Germany flag,” says Maksym Filipenko.
