Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is banning several Russian state media networks for allegedly using deceptive tactics to conduct influence operations and evade detection on its platforms.
“After thorough review, we have intensified our enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and associated entities are now banned from our apps worldwide due to their foreign interference activities,” Meta announced.
RT newsreader Eunan O’Neill responded to the ban, stating that the broadcaster and Russia deny the recent allegations against them.
The bans are set to take effect in the coming days.
The Russian embassy in Washington and Rossiya Segodnya, the owner of Sputnik news agency, have not yet responded to BBC’s requests for comment.
Russian state media has faced increasing scrutiny over attempts to influence politics in Western nations.
Meta, which also owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, is ramping up its stance against Russian state media. Two years ago, Meta imposed limited restrictions, such as halting ads and limiting content reach from these outlets.
Following the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Meta, along with other social media platforms, complied with EU, UK, and Ukrainian requests to block certain Russian state media in those regions.
Earlier this month, the US accused RT of paying $10 million to a Tennessee firm to “create and distribute content to US audiences with covert Russian government messaging.” The indictment alleged that videos promoting right-wing views were secretly edited and directed by RT employees.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against RT, labeling it a “de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.” Blinken accused RT of being part of a network of Russian-backed media aiming to “undermine democracy in the United States” and alleged that RT has a cyber-unit with ties to Russian intelligence.
RT livestreamed Blinken’s remarks on X (formerly Twitter), dismissing them as the “US’s latest conspiracy theory.”
