Meta Bans RT and Other Russian State Media Outlets Over ‘Foreign Interference Activity’

Washington: Social media giant and Facebook owner Meta has announced that it has banned Russian state media outlets, including RT and Rossiya Segodnya, from its platforms globally. The company cited "foreign interference activity" as the reason for the ban, which marks an escalation of its efforts to limit the influence of Russian state-controlled media on its apps.

"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 issued a statement. The ban will be rolled out in the coming days across Meta's platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

Crackdown on Covert Influence Operations

This move follows recent US accusations that Russian media, particularly RT, has been involved in covert operations to influence global audiences. Earlier this month, U.S. authorities filed money-laundering charges against two RT employees, accusing them of scheming to hire an American company to produce content aimed at influencing the 2024 US election.

The Biden administration has intensified its stance, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging countries to treat Russian state broadcaster RT similarly to covert intelligence operations. James Rubin, coordinator for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, reinforced these concerns, describing RT as an outlet where "propaganda, disinformation, and lies are spread to millions, if not billions, of people around the world."

US officials claim that RT hides its involvement in various media projects around the world. These include an online platform called "African Stream" in Africa, a Berlin-based English-language site called "Red" in Germany, and influence projects in France.

Russian State Media Denies Allegations

RT has dismissed the US actions as attempts to suppress its operations as a legitimate journalistic organization. The Russian embassy has yet to comment on Meta's latest decision.

The US government also announced sanctions on TV-Novosti, the state-funded broadcaster that oversees RT, along with Rossiya Segodnya and its director, Dmitry Kiselyov. This follows previous accusations by the US of Russian interference in its elections, notably the 2016 presidential election, where Russian nationals were indicted for cybercrimes.

Meta has been curtailing the influence of Russian state-controlled media on its platforms since 2022. The new ban is expected to be fully enforced in the coming days as part of a broader crackdown on foreign interference.