“Extremist”: Facebook and Instagram banned in Russia

The social media platforms Facebook and Instagram have been banned in Russia as “extremist”. A corresponding application by the General Prosecutor’s Office was accepted by a court in Moscow on Monday.

The two services are already blocked in Russia, and the messenger service WhatsApp, which also belongs to the US group Meta, should not be affected, according to the court. The background to the actions of the Russian judiciary is a decision by Meta to allow calls for violence against Russian troops in Ukraine. The short message service Twitter is also no longer accessible. People in Russia initially feared that WhatsApp could also be shut down. Activists criticize increasing internet censorship in the largest country in the world in terms of area.

Meta had announced relaxed rules in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine. A Facebook spokesman cited the phrase “death to Russian invaders” as an example of an exception to what would normally have violated policy. This caused great outrage in Moscow. Meta later clarified the rules for content inspectors: They only apply in Ukraine, and calls for violence may not be directed against Russians in general or against heads of state like Vladimir Putin.

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