Not three years later: Meta banned Russian state media on Facebook and Instagram

The company Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, has announced a ban on RT and other Russian state media across its platforms.

Currently, the RT pages are absent on Facebook and Instagram. For many years, Meta had implemented more limited measures against Russian propaganda, such as blocking ad placements and reducing the reach of posts.

“After careful consideration, we have expanded our current actions against Russian state media. 'Russia Today,' RT, and other related organizations are now prohibited on our apps worldwide due to foreign interference,” Meta stated in an official announcement.

The ban was prompted by manipulations aimed at conducting covert influence operations related to elections and politics in the United States. This move by Meta follows official charges from the U.S. Department of Justice against two RT employees for orchestrating a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content influencing the 2024 elections. The scandal involved an American media company that accepted Russian funds and coordinated content with RT, as well as well-known right-wing influencers funded by them and Elon Musk, who actively commented on and spread the content. Musk and the bloggers later claimed they were unaware of the Russian funding behind the information.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that other countries should treat the activities of the Russian state broadcaster RT as if they were covert intelligence operations.

In briefing materials provided to Reuters, Meta indicated it had observed Russian state media attempting to evade detection of their online activities in the past and expects they will continue to employ deceptive methods.

Source: Reuters