The parent company of Instagram and Facebook, Meta Platforms Inc., has been added to Rosfinmonitoring's list of "terrorists and extremists" by the Russian financial monitoring agency.
After authorities accused Meta of condoning "Russophobia" amid Russia's military incursion in Ukraine, Russia banned Facebook and Instagram in late March for "carrying out extremist activities."
Meta's appeal was denied by a Moscow court in June after it was deemed responsible for "extremist activity" in Russia in March. At the time, Meta's attorney testified in court that Meta was opposed to russophobia and was not engaging in extreme behavior.
On March 10, Meta stated that the platforms would permit words such as "death to Russian invaders," but not credible threats against people. Meta then clarified that this adjustment only applied to users posting from within Ukraine.
Since March, Russians have been unable to access Facebook and Instagram, but many have turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) to continue using social media services. Instagram used to be a significant tool for marketing and commerce in Russia due to its high popularity there.
The app created by Meta is used by billions of users worldwide. This choice places Meta on the same list as right-wing nationalist organizations, international terrorist groups like the Taliban, and Russian opposition organizations.
According to Interfax, banks in Russia have the authority to freeze Meta's funds if it is added to a list of extremist organizations. The lines of conflict between Russian and Western technology platforms were established months ago. Because of the widely used Russian clone, VK, Facebook has not been missed as much as it may have been.
However, Instagram is still quite popular in Russia, and since virtual private networks (VPNs) are so widely used, users are still able to access the platform despite the restriction. However, this new official "terrorist" classification might alter that. It might imply that using Instagram, even with a VPN, is now illegal. Additionally, it's not clear if WhatsApp is covered by the classification. By banning the most widely used messaging app in the country, Russians would be profoundly shut off from the outside world.
Russia has also imposed restrictions on Twitter. Since occupying Ukraine, Russia has been subjected to stringent economic sanctions and international isolation. In response, Russia has cracked down on the channels of dissent. It has implemented rules that are punishable by lengthy prison terms and restrict what can be reported in the nation. The Novaya Gazeta newspaper, one of the few independent media outlets still operating in the nation, stopped operations in March after getting warnings from Russia's media watchdog.
