As reported by the Interfax news agency, Russia has decided to add the American tech giant Meta to its list of “terrorists and extremists.” The announcement was made by Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial monitoring organization, as the conflict in Ukraine intensifies.
Last week, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia submitted a written request for this ban.
Moscow court declared Meta responsible for “extremist conduct” in Russia
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is owned by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. In March of this year, a Moscow court found Meta responsible for “extremist activity” in Russia. The lawsuit was brought against Meta after it was claimed that it had permitted posts encouraging violence against the Russian military in Ukraine.
As a result, users in Russia will not have access to any of Meta’s services, including the hugely popular social media sites Instagram and Facebook. According to Insider, the ban may go into effect quickly depending on the government’s will.
As a result of this ban, users in Russia will not have access to any of Meta’s services, including the social networking sites Instagram and Facebook. According to reports, the ban may go into action quickly if the administration so chooses.
Zuckerberg is already on the list of people who have been denied entry to Russia
Zuckerberg is already on the list of people who have been denied entry to Russia by the Russian foreign ministry since April. The US Vice President Kamala Harris, the CEO of LinkedIn Ryan Roslansky, and more than 900 other US citizens are on the list along with the tech billionaire.
Rosfinmonitoring claimed that Meta had been unfair in its coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, according to the official statement. The company, they claimed, “discriminates” against Russian news organizations and has censored user access to websites like Sputnik and Russia Today.