A court sitting in Moscow on Monday banned Facebook and Instagram as in the country declaring them as ‘extremist’ organisations, after Russian authorities accused US tech giant Meta of tolerating ‘Russophobia’ over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Tverskoi district court disclosed that it had agreed to a request from prosecutors for the two huge social media platforms to be banned for ‘carrying out extremist activities’.
They however indicated that Meta’s WhatsApp messenger service would not face the same fate because it is not a public platform.
Africa Daily News, New York understands that the move is part of sweeping efforts by Moscow to crack down on social media amid its military operations in pro-Western Ukraine.
During Monday’s hearing, Russia’s FSB security service lambasted Meta for allegedly working against Moscow’s interests during the period of the conflict.
‘The activities of the Meta organisation are directed against Russia and its armed forces,’ FSB representative Igor Kovalevsky told the court, Russian news agencies reported.
‘We ask (the court) to ban Meta’s activities and oblige it to implement this ruling immediately,’ he added.
Africa Daily News, New York recalls that following President Vladimir Putin decision to send troops into Ukraine on February 24, authorities blocked access in Russia to Facebook and Instagram, as well as to Twitter.
Meta had announced on March 10 that the platforms would allow statements like “death to Russian invaders” but not credible threats against civilians.
But in what appeared to be a damage control measure, Meta’s global affairs president, Nick Clegg, later disclosed that the laxer rules would only apply to people posting from inside Ukraine.
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has added fuel to a simmering dispute between foreign digital platforms and Moscow.
Access to Twitter has also been restricted and on Friday Roskomnadzor demanded that Alphabet Inc’s Google stop spreading what it called threats against Russian citizens on YouTube. Anton Gorelkin, a member of Russia’s State Duma committee on information and communications who has criticised foreign firms, while championing domestic alternatives, said the Russian market could be opened to Meta again, but only on Moscow’s terms.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
