Russia Bans Meta's FB and IG but not WhatsApp for 'Extremism'

MAR 21 2022·Updated JAN 23 2023

Story

Image credit: Getty Images [via NPR]

The Facts

Moscow's Tverskoy District Court on Mon. banned Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram in Russia, citing that they're "extremist" organizations that tolerate calls for violence against Russians.
NBC
The ban, which Judge Olga Solopova said went into effect immediately, comes after Russia announced on Mar. 4 it would block Facebook and Twitter in response to the platforms blocking access to Russian-affiliated media accounts.
NBC
It comes as Reuters revealed on Mar. 10 that Meta had changed its hate speech policy to allow users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion. It also allowed calls for the death of Putin and Belarusian Pres. Lukashenko.
Reuters
Meta later clarified its policy, saying it would not allow content that calls for assassinations of heads of state.
Business Insider
Meta also said that it would allow speech that positively highlighted the far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group, the Azov battalion, previously banned in 2019.
Business Insider
Solopova said Meta's WhatsApp messenger service wouldn't be prohibited because it "was means of communication, not a source of information."
guardian

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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The Spin

Anti-Russia narrative

This isn't really about the social network, but about fully controlling the information landscape in the country. Meanwhile, Russian authorities continue their crackdown on protesters and independent news outlets. This assault on access to information must stop.

guardian

Establishment-critical narrative

Meta, for the first time in the company's history, has adopted a policy that allows for inciting violence against people (Russians) on its social media platforms. It's clearly operating more than just a social media platform, using calls for violence for political ends.

Al Jazeera