Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta has banned Russian news agency RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Moscow-controlled media networks for allegedly carrying out “operations through deceptive tactics while evading detection”.
“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” the company said in a written statement, according to news agency Reuters.
Meta has said that the ban will be enforced over the coming days.
Meanwhile, there has been no response from the Russian embassy on the development and even the White House declined to make any comment.
Meta’s application includes widely used social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
Meta action comes after the United States’ recent money-laundering charges against two RT employees.
The charges allege that the employees were involved in a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content aimed at influencing the 2024 election.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, recently advised countries to treat the activities of Russian state broadcaster RT in the same manner as they would handle covert intelligence operations.
RT has responded by ridiculing the US actions and accusing the United States of attempting to hinder the broadcaster’s ability to function as a journalistic organisation.
According to briefing materials provided to Reuters by Meta, the company has observed Russian state-controlled media attempting to evade detection in their online activities in the past.
Meta anticipates that these entities will persist in their efforts to engage in deceptive practices in the future.
“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” the company said in a written statement, according to news agency Reuters.
Meta has said that the ban will be enforced over the coming days.
Meanwhile, there has been no response from the Russian embassy on the development and even the White House declined to make any comment.
Meta’s application includes widely used social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
Meta action comes after the United States’ recent money-laundering charges against two RT employees.
The charges allege that the employees were involved in a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content aimed at influencing the 2024 election.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, recently advised countries to treat the activities of Russian state broadcaster RT in the same manner as they would handle covert intelligence operations.
RT has responded by ridiculing the US actions and accusing the United States of attempting to hinder the broadcaster’s ability to function as a journalistic organisation.
According to briefing materials provided to Reuters by Meta, the company has observed Russian state-controlled media attempting to evade detection in their online activities in the past.
Meta anticipates that these entities will persist in their efforts to engage in deceptive practices in the future.
