Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Russia bans Facebook and Instagram under ‘extremism’ law

Russia bans Facebook and Instagram under ‘extremism’ law


Russia bans Facebook and Instagram under ‘extremism’ law

A Russian court has banned Facebook and Instagram in the country, labelling its parent company Meta as "extremist" amid the Kremlin's sweeping crackdown on western social media giants.

Access to Facebook and Instagram had already been restricted earlier this month after Meta confirmed it was relaxing its policies on hate speech towards Russian soldiers and Vladimir Putin in relation to the country's war in Ukraine. Meta later said the laxer rules would only apply to people posting from inside Ukraine.

The court in Moscow said that Facebook and Instagram -both of which are widely used among Russians - were "carrying out extremist activities". But it said that Meta's WhatsApp messenger service would not be prohibited because it "was means of communication, not a source of information".

During Monday's hearing in Moscow, Russia's FSB security service accused Meta of creating an "alternative reality" in which "hatred for the Russians was kindled".

"The activities of the Meta organisation are directed against Russia and its armed forces," FSB representative Igor Kovalevsky told the court, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Previously, groups such as the Taliban, Jehovah's Witnesses and an organisation led by the jailed Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny have been targeted under the same extremism law.

Russian prosecutors said in court they would not seek to charge Russian citizens and organisations that access the two banned platforms, as hundreds of thousands of Russians have sought to circumvent the social media ban using a VPN.

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