A Russian court has banned Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for "extremist" activities, making its work in Russia illegal. The decision excludes WhatsApp, which Meta also owns.
The ruling immediately bans Facebook and Instagram from Russia, where both platforms are already blocked. Russian authorities are also seeking to designate Meta as an "extremist organization," which could go into effect after a potential appeal by Meta. The company did not immediately comment.
Instagram was blocked after Meta outlined a moderation policy allowing social media users in Ukraine to post messages urging violence against Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Russian troops. Meta has since narrowed its guidance to prohibit calls for the death of a head of state and said its guidance should never be interpreted as condoning violence against Russians in general.
However, the perceived threat to Russian citizens angered the authorities and led to the launch of a criminal case against the company.
For now, the full scope of the ruling's impact remains unclear. An extremist designation in Russia typically outlaws any commercial activity or even the display of brand symbols. In the hearing, government prosecutors appeared to specify that regular people using Facebook or Instagram would not face prosecution.
The case stems in part from Meta's decision earlier this month to permit some calls for violence against Russian soldiers. Russian prosecutors' criminal probe cited "illegal calls for the murder of Russian nationals" by Meta employees and accused Instagram of serving as a platform for organizing "riots, accompanied by violence."
Russia's military operation in Ukraine has added fuel to a simmering dispute between foreign digital platforms and Moscow. Access to Twitter has also been restricted and also Roskomnadzor demanded that Alphabet Inc's Google stop spreading what it called threats against Russian citizens on YouTube.
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