A Russian court banned social media on Monday Facebook and Instagram for considering that they carry out “extremist” activities, a measure that is part of Moscow’s attempt to control online information about their invasion of Ukraine.
“We accede to the prosecutor’s request to ban the activities of the Meta company,” the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, the Moscow court judge said, according to Russian news agencies.
The social networks managed by Meta are “prohibited for extremist activity,” the court added in a statement released by Telegram.
The messaging app WhatsAppalso owned by Meta, is not affected by this measure, since the court found that it is not used as a means of “public dissemination of information.”
After the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the Russian authorities tightened control of information. The ban on Facebook and Instagram is part of that line.
These two social networks were already banned for a few days, as well as Twitter and the websites of most independent Russian media. The only way to access them is through a virtual private network (VPN).
On March 11, the Russian authorities had asked to classify Meta as an “extremist” organization after accusing it of having relaxed its regulations to allow the publication of violent messages against the Russian military and leaders as a result of the invasion.
In court on Monday, the prosecution reiterated this request, considering that Meta justified “terrorist actions” and intended to incite “hatred and enmity” towards the Russians.
The Russian security services (FSB) had also demanded the “immediate” banning of Facebook and Instagram.
“The activities of Meta are directed against Russia and its armed forces. We demand its prohibition and the obligation to apply this measure immediately,” an FSB spokesman, Igor Kovalevski, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying at a hearing.
YouTube in the spotlight
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, a Meta representative testified in court on Monday that the company had changed its regulations to ban “Russophobia and calls for violence.”
Since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Ukraine on February 24, the government has tightened control of information disseminated on the Internet, one of the last spaces to express oneself freely in the country.
The blocking and banning of Facebook, but especially Instagram, widely used in the country, was a blow to many citizens who used these social networks not only to have fun, but also to do business.
Instagram is a key online sales tool for many companies, but also for artists, who rely on this platform to make themselves known both in Russia and abroad and thus find customers.
The banning of these two social networks may also have an impact on the opposition, which used to post on these platforms since the Kremlin-controlled media does not usually give it space.
And the trend could continue. Last week, Russia’s telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor accused US giant Google and its YouTube video service of “terrorist” activities, the first step toward a possible blockade.
In early March, the authorities also introduced two new criminal infractions: one for disseminating information that “discredits” the Russian military and another for disseminating “misleading” information about Russian troops.
This latest offense provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison and is particularly worrying to opponents and independent media, who fear being persecuted for any criticism of the offensive.
At least three people, who had already posted messages against the conflict on the internet, are being prosecuted for it.