Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has banned Russian media from all of its social media platforms. Meta announced that it has banned Russian state media RT News and other Kremlin-controlled networks due to alleged 'foreign interference' activities.
Meta made a big statement
Meta alleged that Russian media used deceptive tactics to conduct influence operations by evading detection on its social media platforms. “After careful consideration, we have expanded our existing sanctions against Russian state media outlets,” Meta said in a statement. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related networks are banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity.
Meta took this step for the second time
This is the second time META has taken this step, having previously restricted Russian networks in 2022 to curb misinformation spread by Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. META removed and demonetized posts and accounts that ran agendas related to the Russian government.
Ban on Facebook, Instagram, Thread, WhatsApp
Meta includes Facebook, Instagram, Thread, WhatsApp. Before the ban, RT had more than 7 million followers on Facebook, while its Instagram account had more than 1 million followers. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken imposed new sanctions against RT, accusing it of links to Russia's intelligence agency.
Russia is launching a cyber attack on America!
Blinken told the media on Friday that RT is part of a network of Russian-backed media outlets that have secretly tried to undermine democracy in the US. Apart from this, he accused RT of carrying out cyber attacks in the US with the help of Russia.