Meta Bans Russian State Media Globally for Foreign Interference

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced a global ban on several Russian state media networks, accusing them of using deceptive tactics to influence public opinion and evade detection on its platforms. The ban affects major outlets such as Rossiya Segodnya and RT (formerly Russia Today), which have been accused of foreign interference activities. "After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity," Meta said in a statement. The decision has stirred controversy, with RT newsreader Eunan O'Neill denying the accusations, saying that both the broadcaster and Russia as a whole reject the claims made against them. The bans are expected to be enforced in the coming days, although the Russian embassy in Washington and Rossiya Segodnya, which also owns the Sputnik news agency, have not responded to requests for comment.

Russian state media outlets have increasingly come under fire for allegedly attempting to influence political discourse in Western nations. Meta's ban marks a significant escalation in its approach to Russian state media, building on earlier efforts to limit their reach. Two years ago, Meta restricted Russian state-controlled outlets by preventing them from running ads and reducing their visibility. Following the onset of the Ukraine war, Meta, along with other social media platforms, complied with requests from the European Union, United Kingdom, and Ukraine to block Russian state media in those regions.

Tensions between Russian media and Western nations have escalated further after the U.S. accused RT of paying $10 million to a Tennessee firm to secretly distribute content with hidden Russian government messaging to American audiences. The U.S. indictment also claimed that RT employees directed the creation of videos promoting right-wing narratives. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken imposed sanctions on RT, calling it a "de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus" and alleging that it has cyber-operational capabilities tied to Russian intelligence. Blinken added that Russian-backed media outlets like RT have sought to undermine democracy in the U.S. Despite these accusations, RT livestreamed Blinken’s remarks, labeling them as the "US's latest conspiracy theory."