Meta Bans RT And Other Russian-State-Owned Media Networks

Amidst an ongoing investigation into the probable involvement of Russian Media networks in deceptive tactics, Meta has banned multiple Russian channels.

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has engulfed the US into the controversial limelight. Multiple Russian state-owned media outlets have surfaced to be involved in deceptive tactics to weaken the US’s aid to Ukraine. The US Treasury and State Departments have announced actions against RT, including the network’s top editor, Margarita Simonova Simoyan. As a result, Meta bans RT and other Russian state-owned media channels from all its platforms for an indefinite period.

Users who tried visiting the pages of these channels on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta-owned platforms have been seeing a ‘This content isn’t available at the moment’ message. This usually happens when a page owner shares access with only a few people or deletes the page.

"We will be relentlessly aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran, as well as China or any other foreign malign actor, (to) interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

This ban marks an immediate action by one of the world’s biggest social media platforms against Russian media. Multiple Russian media outlets have faced similar actions earlier from Meta, including shadow bans and restrictions on running ads.

Meta shared a written statement clarifying the reason behind the immediate ban on RT and other Russian media outlets, “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 social media company said in a written statement.”

Enforcement of the ban will be rolling out in a few days across Meta’s entire ecosystem, banning them completely. Neither the Russian embassy nor the White House have commented on Meta’s decision. The FBI has requested the top court’s permission to seize 32 internet domains that may have been involved in covert intelligence operations for foreign influence efforts of Russia.

Apart from the top social media platforms supporting the US in preventing further access to Russian covert intelligence operations, the top mobile app development companies have begun evaluating their business networks and clients in certain regions to ensure all ethical practices and compliances are strictly adhered to. This step will further weaken any alleged effort of foreign interference to create a political division ahead of the upcoming elections in the US.