Meta said it has banned Kremlin-run state media Russia Today as well as other networks controlled by President Vladimir Putin’s regime because of “foreign interference activity”.
Russian-based broadcasters and websites such as RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other related media will no longer be available to users of Meta’s social networks, including Facebook and Instagram.
“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Before Monday’s ban, RT boasted 7.2 million followers on Facebook, as well as 1 million on Instagram.
Meta’s ban comes just days after the State Department alleged that RT, Rossiya Segodnya and its employees “coordinated directly with the Kremlin to support the Russian government’s efforts to influence” elections in Moldova in an effort to “incite unrest.” in the former Soviet republic.
The State Department also alleged that RT engages in crowdfunding operations to “procure lethal aid to the Russian military in Ukraine.”
“RT uses proxy media purporting to be independent of Russia to covertly distribute content and messages globally and to avoid Western responses to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” the State Department alleged.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced indictments against two RT employees who allegedly poured $9.7 million into Tennessee-based digital channel Tenet Media in order to influence content published by American podcasters. .
The federal government has claimed the money was intended to fund pro-Russian propaganda in the hope of influencing the outcome of this fall’s presidential election.
An RT spokesman told The Post: “It’s nice how there’s a competition in the West – who can try to hit RT the hardest, so they look better.”
The RT representative added that Meta “already blocked RT in Europe two years ago”.
The Post has sought comment from Rossiya Segodnya and the Russian government.
The Biden administration claims the Kremlin is conducting influence operations in the US to help former President Donald Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.
Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill this week along with executives from Google and Microsoft.
The Senate Intelligence Committee plans to ask tech leaders how they plan to deal with alleged foreign threats to the election.
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Image Source : nypost.com