Meta has banned RT and other Russian state news channels from its platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram. “After careful consideration, we have expanded our ongoing policy against Russian state media,” the company told Engadget in a statement. “Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related businesses are now banned from our apps around the world due to interference from other countries.” Meta shared information resources Reuterswhere the company said it had found evidence in the past that Russian stores took steps to prevent their foreign internet interference activities from being detected. It said it expects these stores to continue their fraudulent practices. The ban will be implemented in the coming days.
The company’s announcement comes days after the Biden administration publicly accused RT of spreading propaganda and disinformation online. Authorities said RT is spreading propaganda and information to justify and support its attacks on Ukraine using local media outlets, such as those targeting Africa and France.
Meta blocked Russian state media’s access to Facebook in Ukraine back in 2022 at the request of its government, to prevent the spread of those outlets’ content. In response, Russia banned Facebook from the country a few days later and opened a criminal case against the company. A judge later found Facebook and Instagram guilty of “excessive” activity, effectively preventing Meta from opening offices and doing business in Russia.
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