Meta Bans Russian State Media Globally to Counter Foreign Influence Ahead of Elections

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Banishes Russian State Media Globally To Counter Foreign Influence: RT And Related Entities 'Are Now Banned From Our Apps Globally' - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms Inc META has banned RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and other Russian state media from its platforms. The ban, announced on Monday, marks an escalation in Meta's efforts to combat foreign interference. What Happened: The decision follows accusations that these outlets employed deceptive tactics for covert influence operations online, reported Reuters. This action represents a significant escalation in Meta's efforts against Russian state media, which previously included blocking ads and limiting post reach. Meta stated, "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." The enforcement will roll out over the coming days across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, according to the report. The ban follows recent U.S. money laundering charges against two RT employees for allegedly attempting to influence the 2024 election. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently urged countries to treat RT's activities like covert intelligence operations. RT has criticized the U.S. actions, accusing the United States of trying to hinder its journalistic operations. See Also: DraftKings Faces Major League Baseball Lawsuit Over Usage Of Players' Names, Images: 'Not Merely Informational - It Is Promotional' Why It Matters: The ban on Russian state media by Meta comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Russia, particularly in the digital space. In 2023, Russia's restrictions on Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X led to a reported loss of over $4 billion from its economy. According to a study by Top10VPN, Russia experienced 1,353 hours of internet shutdowns during the first year of the Ukraine invasion, affecting 113 million internet users. Meta's actions are part of a broader effort to combat disinformation and covert influence operations. Earlier this year, Meta took down numerous Facebook accounts linked to covert influence campaigns from countries including China, Iran, Russia, and Israel. These campaigns reportedly used artificial intelligence tools to spread disinformation, as highlighted in Meta's quarterly threat report. Additionally, Meta has faced pressure from various governments to regulate content on its platforms. In August, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the company faced pressure from President Joe Biden administration's officials to censor certain COVID-19 content. Zuckerberg expressed regret for not opposing the pressure sooner, as noted in a letter addressed to the House Judiciary Committee. Read Next: Apple Shares Slide In Monday Premarket: What's Souring Sentiment? Image Via Shutterstock This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta bans RT and other Russian media networks for using deceptive tactics

Facebook owner Meta said on Monday it was banning RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Russian state media networks from its platforms, claiming the outlets had used deceptive tactics to carry out covert influence operations online. The ban marks a sharp escalation in actions by the world's biggest social media company against Russian state media, after it spent years taking more limited steps such as blocking the outlets from running ads and reducing the reach of their posts. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp "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," the social media company said in a written statement. Enforcement of the ban would roll out over the coming days, it said. In addition to Facebook, Meta's apps include Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House declined to comment. Meta's move came after the United States filed money-laundering charges earlier this month against two RT employees for what officials said was a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content to influence the 2024 election. More From This Section Houthi official says US offered to recognise Sanaa govt; US denies claims US FAA chief to testify before Congress on Sept 24 on Boeing quality plan OpenAI's safety committee to oversee security practices as independent body Suspect in assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours J&J gets $260 million talc verdict overturned in Oregon, new trial ordered US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that countries should treat the activities of Russian state broadcaster RT as they do covert intelligence operations. RT has mocked the US actions and accused the United States of trying to prevent the broadcaster from operating as a journalistic organization. In briefing materials shared with Reuters, Meta said it had seen Russian state-controlled media try to evade detection in their online activities in the past and expected them to continue trying to engage in deceptive practices going forward. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Also Read India well-poised to benefit from new jobs emerging with AI: Meta India V-P India key priority market; reels, biz messaging supercharging growth: Meta Even Facebook couldn't compete with Google, says ex-ad chief Boland Cristiano Ronaldo creates history with 1 bn social media followers Meta to inform Brazilians how it uses their personal data to train AI

Meta is banning Russian outlets including RT just weeks ahead of the US election

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. The ban is expected to come into force across all apps over the coming days. Meta's decision comes as Russian media faces increased scrutiny from the Biden administration. On Friday, the Biden administration hit Russian state media outlets with new sanctions, accusing RT of acting as an arm of Moscow's spy agencies by engaging in covert information warfare operations around the world. James Rubin, the coordinator for the State Department's Global Engagement Center, called RT "a fully-fledged member of the intelligence apparatus and operation of the Russian government" for the Ukraine war, per NBC News. Representatives for RT and Rossiya Segodnya did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI, sent outside normal working hours. Russian media entities have long faced accusations of attempting to influence Western politics. Russia's war in Ukraine has also provided a new avenue for Russian disinformation to flourish in the US on the far right. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice charged two RT employees with money laundering and reportedly paying $10 million to an unnamed Tennessee-based company to produce English-language social media videos aimed at stirring up political divisions. "The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country's free exchange of ideas in order to covertly further its own propaganda efforts," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time. Meanwhile, an unnamed US intelligence official told Reuters that RT was trying to sway voters toward former President Donald Trump ahead of the November election by using Western influencers. Meta, along with YouTube and TikTok, has already banned some Russian state media, including RT, in the EU, following requests from national governments after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Meta has previously said that Russia is the top source of misinformation efforts in the world. In a security report released last month, the company said Russian influence operations had leveraged generative AI to create personas for fake journalists and publish stories on fictitious news sites using distorted information from authentic articles.