By Katie Paul
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook Inc’s Meta said on Monday it has banned Russia Today, Rossiya Segodnya and other Russian state media networks from its platforms, alleging the outlets used deceptive tactics to carry out covert influence operations online.
The ban represents a sharp escalation in the world’s largest social media company’s actions against Russian state media, after years of taking more limited steps such as blocking outlets from running ads and limiting the reach of their posts.
“After careful consideration, we have expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally due to foreign interference activity,” the social media company said in a written statement.
The company said the ban will begin in the coming days. In addition to Facebook (NASDAQ:), Meta’s apps include Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House declined to comment.
Meta’s move came after the United States filed money laundering charges earlier this month against two RT employees in what officials said was a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content to influence the 2024 election.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that countries should treat the activities of Russia’s state broadcaster RT as they would covert intelligence operations.
Russia Today mocked the US actions and accused the US of trying to prevent the channel from operating as a journalistic organization.
In media materials shared with Reuters, Meta said it has observed that Russian state-controlled media outlets have attempted to evade detection of their online activities in the past, and expects them to continue to attempt to engage in deceptive practices in the future.