Social networks accused of “extremism”. A Moscow court banned the American social networks Facebook and Instagram in Russia on Monday March 21, in a new episode of Internet control against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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“The court satisfied a lawsuit filed by the First Assistant Attorney General against holding company Meta Platforms Inc. (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) relating to the prohibition of its activities on Russian territory”the court announced in a message on Telegram.
The Russian security services (FSB) had earlier demanded the ban “immediate” American social networks Facebook and Instagram, accusing them of activities “directed against Russia and its armed forces”. A prosecutor had also asked for the prohibition of Meta, “due to clear signs of extremist activity”.
Meta’s WhatsApp messaging app is not affected by this decision. The court ruled that it did not serve as a means of “public dissemination of information”.
Social networks already almost inaccessible
The Russian prosecutor’s office had asked, on March 11, to classify Meta organization “extremist”, a move paving the way for a ban on all of its activities in Russia. The request followed a decision by the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to relax its rules for violent posts against the Russian army and leaders. The Public Prosecutor’s Office considered that Meta thus justified “terrorist actions” and wanted to encourage “hatred and enmity” towards the Russians.
According to Russian news agency TASS, a Meta representative told the court on Monday that the company had since changed its rules to ban “Russophobia and calls for violence”.
Instagram and Facebook, like Twitter, have already been blocked in Russia, where they are virtually inaccessible unless you use a virtual private network (VPN). The sites of dozens of foreign and Russian media, including that of the BBC, have also been blocked since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.