Meta is now taking further action against Russian state-backed media sites that post on their social media platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram. In fact, Meta has announced that it has banned several Russian state-backed media outlets.
Howver, this ban has yet to take effect as of press time as it will take a few days before they are permanently unable to access these platforms and share with the public.
Meta's latest decision comes after previous bans and restrictions Meta has imposed against Russia, more popularly during the early parts of its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's State-Backed Media Outlets Now Banned on Facebook, Instagram
Reuters shared the latest briefing materials from Meta, which announced its ban on Russian state-backed media outlets because of their "foreign interference activity." This latest move by Meta adds to its earlier restrictions against these Russian government-supported news sources after finding new evidence in their online activities.
According to Meta, these Russian state-backed media entities, which include RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and more, are not going to stop sharing propaganda and misinformation on social media, hence the ban.
This comes after the White House called out RT for its massive propaganda and disinformation content shared online, justifying Russia's Ukraine invasion.
Read Also: Microsoft Reports Russian Hackers Accessed Thousands of Customers, Staff Emails
Meta Claims That These Russian Websites Are 'Deceptive'
According to Meta, its ban against these Russian news websites is due to the fact that the company believes that these "deceptive practices" will continue. It was Meta who drew first blood against Russia in its previous restriction, but it led to a judge ruling against Facebook and Instagram's operations in the country and has since seen turmoil between both sides.
Meta clarified that this ban against Russia's state-backed news outlets will take effect in the upcoming days.
Meta and Its Fight Against Russia
The back-and-forth clash between Meta and Russia has not yet come to an end, and this originally started when the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company blocked Russian state-backed media from sharing content on its platforms. This was applied on both Facebook and Instagram, and these Russian state-sponsored accounts has seen limitations and restrictions for two years already.
Unsurprisingly, Russia did not take these bans lightly as it imposed its own ban on Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms in 2022, and this was revealed to be because of "extremist" activity. Despite this, Russia did not ban instant messaging app WhatsApp, which Meta also owns.
There seems to be no end to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and significant restrictions are still imposed against the transcontinental country, particularly sanctions imposed by the United States. This latest Meta ban against Russian state-backed media entities adds to the restrictions they face online, preventing its propaganda and deceptive information from proliferating on Facebook and Instagram.
Related Article: US Officials, Allies Take Down Thousands of Disinformation Bot Accounts on X
