Meta Bans Russian Media Networks Over Influence Operations

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced a global ban on several Russian state media networks, accusing them of using deceptive tactics to carry out influence operations and evade detection on its platforms.

“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,” Meta stated.

The ban, which targets networks such as Rossiya Segodnya and RT (formerly Russia Today), is expected to take effect in the coming days.

However, neither the Russian embassy in Washington, RT, nor the owner of Sputnik news agency, Rossiya Segodnya, immediately responded to BBC requests for comment.

Russian state media networks have faced growing scrutiny amid allegations that they have attempted to influence political events in Western countries.

Meta, which previously implemented limited measures to curb the spread of Russian state-controlled media by banning their ads and limiting their content’s reach, has now taken a more decisive step.

This escalation followed the company’s compliance with EU, UK, and Ukrainian requests to block certain Russian state media after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the US accused state broadcaster RT of paying $10 million to a Tennessee firm to create and distribute content containing hidden Russian government messaging aimed at US audiences.

According to an indictment, RT employees were responsible for editing, posting, and directing videos that promoted right-wing narratives on topics such as immigration, gender, and the economy.

In a further development, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against RT, accusing it of being a “de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.”

“RT is part of a network of Russian-backed media outlets that have sought to covertly undermine democracy in the United States,” Blinken said, adding that the Russian government had embedded within RT “a unit with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence.”