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The Russian government is demanding that the US stop Meta, Facebook and Instagram, the parent company, for allegedly allowing “extremist activity” on their platforms.
On Friday, the Russian embassy accused Meta of “aggressive and criminal behavior” after the company lifted a ban on users calling for violence against Russia, dramatically changing its hate speech policy.
Incitement to violence on the platform usually comes with a lengthy ban, such as former President Donald Trump’s permanent ban on Facebook (the original ban was overturned by the company’s supervisory board and is now in effect for a two-year ban).
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“Meta’s aggressive and criminal policy, leading to inciting hatred and enmity towards Russians, is outrageous,” the Russian embassy said in a statement, Reuters reported. “The actions of the company are yet another evidence of the information war without rules declared on our country.”
The embassy then called on the US government to “stop Meta’s extremist activities and take action to bring those responsible to justice,” the statement said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a plenary meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club on October 21, 2021 in Sochi, Russia. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Volodin, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, also said he was ready to open a criminal case against Meta for “inciting hatred against citizens,” the state-run Russian news agency TASS reported.
On Thursday, Meta announced it would temporarily allow publications calling for the death of Russian officials, including calls for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after the two leaders invaded Ukraine, Reuters reported.
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According to the report, the change will only affect users in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.
Google, Meta and Twitter recently took action against Russian-controlled social media accounts that spread misinformation or malicious information at the request of the European Union, the Atlantic Council said.
The Grand Kremlin Palace (left) and Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
News outlets RT and Sputnik are among those being restricted by the platforms, according to the report. The platforms have also demonetized Russian state-owned Facebook and Instagram accounts, and they can reportedly no longer run ads.
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Putin recently signed a law banning “fake” information, which could land journalists in jail for reporting that the war in Ukraine is a “war.”
“We are registering a large number, just a flurry of fake news about the course of the special operation, the victims and so on. It is clear that most of them are generated in Ukraine. However, it is readily distributed by some Russian media. media, as well as users in social networks. The Security and Anti-Corruption Committee is now analyzing this information,” said Vasily Piskarev, head of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption.