Meta bans Russian media outlet RT after Biden administration accuses RT of being a pawn of Russian intelligence
Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other services, has announced that it will ban
Meta bans RT days after US accused Russian outlet of disinformation
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/meta-bans-rt-russian-disinformation-rcna171402
Meta bans Russian state media for 'foreign interference' | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/meta-bans-rt-other-russian-state-media-networks-2024-09-17/
Facebook owner Meta bans Russia state media outlets over 'foreign interference' | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/meta-facebook-instagram-whatsapp-russia-92a22a9681119d7d8ce217f8429e3c3d
On September 13, 2024, the US government accused RT of covertly promoting Russian propaganda through media outlets in South America, Europe and Africa while concealing its ties to the Russian government.
RT is also behind an online platform in Africa called African Stream, and secretly operates a Berlin-based English-language website in Germany called Red, and has reportedly hired a journalist in Paris for a project targeted at French speakers.
According to U.S. government officials, RT incorporates a cyber espionage unit with ties to Russian intelligence and uses crowdfunding services to secure funds and weapons for the Russian military. In a statement, the State Department said that RT and a large crowdfunding platform operated through its social media channels have procured sniper rifles, body armor, night vision goggles, unmanned drones, radio equipment, diesel generators and other items.
'RT prefers that its newfound intelligence capabilities remain hidden, as well as its longstanding propaganda and disinformation operations. The most powerful antidote to Russian lies is truth, and our announcement shines a bright light on what the Russian government is trying to do under the cover of darkness,' Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.
Shortly after the US government's announcement, on September 16, social media giant Meta announced it was banning RT from its platform. 'After careful consideration, we have expanded our ongoing crackdown on Russian state-run media. RT and other associated entities are now banned globally from our apps for soliciting foreign trolls,' a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Meta's services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, etc., and RT had more than 7.2 million followers on Facebook and more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Since access to Facebook and Instagram has been blocked in Russia for some time, the impact in Russia may not be significant, but WhatsApp is still used by millions of Russians.
In response to this move, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov strongly condemned Meta, saying, 'Such selective actions against Russian media are unacceptable. With these actions, Meta is discrediting itself. We take a very negative stance toward this decision, and of course, this complicates the prospects for normalizing relations between Meta and Russia.'
YouTube also removed hundreds of channels linked to Russian government-backed media on September 16. A spokesperson told NBC News, 'As part of our ongoing commitment to comply with US government sanctions, we have terminated more than 230 channels associated with AVO TV Novosti and Rossiya Segodnya, which were already blocked to viewers.'
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