Meta has banned RT and other Russian state media outlets, including Rossiya Segodnya, from its platforms Facebook and Instagram globally for foreign interference activity. The company found evidence that these outlets were engaging in deceptive practices to prevent detection of their online interference activities. This ban comes shortly after the Biden administration publicly accused RT of spreading propaganda related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meta had previously restricted Russian state media’s access to Facebook in Ukraine at the government’s request in 2022. In response, Russia blocked Facebook in the country and opened a criminal case against the company. A judge later found Meta guilty of “extremist” activity, effectively banning them from operating in Russia.
