Meta, the owner of Facebook, announced a global ban on Russian state media networks RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and others from its platforms, citing deceptive tactics and covert influence operations, Reuters reports.
The ban will affect all Meta platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, and expands on Meta’s previous restrictions on Russian state media like ad bans and reduced post visibility. The Kremlin criticized the ban, calling it an unacceptable action that complicates relations between Russia and Meta. Russia had previously blocked Instagram and Facebook in response to policy changes related to the Ukraine invasion and fined Meta for not removing content deemed illegal by Russian authorities.
Meta’s action coincides with recent US legal actions against RT employees for alleged money laundering and election interference, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested treating RT’s activities as covert intelligence operations.
