U.S. tech giant Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced a global ban on Russian state-run media outlets like RT and Rossiya Segodnya, citing their involvement in covert influence operations.
This move escalates the company's previous actions, which had focused on limiting the reach of these outlets and blocking their ads.
The ban will be enforced across Meta’s platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, over the next few days.
The decision follows U.S. charges against RT employees for alleged efforts to influence the 2024 election, with Meta stating that Russian state media has a history of using deceptive tactics online.
Earlier in September, the U.S. announced a sweeping crackdown on supposed Russian election interference, seizing 32 internet domains linked to Kremlin propaganda campaigns and sanctioning several high-profile propagandists working for RT.
Alongside the new warning about RT, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "the State Department also designated the Russian state-funded and directed media company Rossiya Segodnya and five of its subsidiaries, including RT, under the Foreign Missions Act."
Chris York
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