Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced a global ban on several Russian state media networks, accusing them of engaging in deceptive practices to carry out influence operations on its platforms. The affected networks include prominent outlets like Rossiya Segodnya and RT, which have been accused of attempting to evade detection while spreading disinformation.
In a statement, Meta said, “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.” This move is part of Meta’s broader efforts to crack down on disinformation and foreign interference on its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
The bans are expected to take effect in the coming days. However, Russian media and officials have strongly denied the allegations. RT newsreader Eunan O’Neill said during a broadcast, “Russia as a whole denies the accusations that have been coming en masse against this channel and others in the past number of days.”
RT responded to Meta’s action by criticizing what it called the West’s competition to suppress Russian media. “It’s cute how there’s a competition in the West — who can try to spank RT the hardest, in order to make themselves look better,” the broadcaster said in a statement to the BBC. RT also hinted at its ability to find ways around the bans, saying, “Our ‘partisans’ will find the cracks to crawl through.”
This latest action by Meta marks a significant escalation in its stance toward Russian state media. Two years ago, the company implemented more limited measures, including stopping Russian state-controlled outlets from running ads and restricting the reach of their content. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Meta complied with requests from the EU, UK, and Ukraine to block some Russian state media in those regions.
Russian state media has long faced scrutiny for allegedly attempting to influence politics in Western countries. Earlier this month, the U.S. accused RT of paying a Tennessee firm $10 million to create and distribute content in the U.S. that carried hidden Russian government messaging. The U.S. government has accused RT of promoting right-wing narratives on issues like immigration, gender, and the economy.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against RT, calling it a “de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.” He added that the Russian government has embedded cyber-operational units within RT with ties to Russian intelligence. RT has denied the accusations, calling them the “US’s latest conspiracy theory.”
