Facebook e Instagram are no longer available in Russia. As expected, this Monday a Moscow court has described as “extremist” to Meta, the parent company that owns both social networks, thereby prohibiting it from having branches and doing business in its territory.
The opinion signed today does not extend this prohibition to WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, considering that it is a messaging application used for communication between citizens and not for the publication of information. The judicial decision will not affect the citizens who have used these platforms either. “The use of Meta products by natural and legal persons should not be considered as participation in extremist activities“, said a spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office.
On March 11, the Russian Prosecutor’s Office already requested the definitive ban on Facebook and Instagram in Russian territory after learning that the company would allow —temporarily and in nine countries— the publication of hateful comments against Russian troops in the context of the war in Ukraine, as well as praise for the neo-Nazi paramilitary group Azov Battalion.
Both digital platforms were already blocked in the country for more than a week, but the judicial decision of this Monday definitively certifies its prohibition. His verdict is effective immediately, which means Russian citizens no longer have access to Facebook and Instagram.
digital repression
However, the government of Vladimir Putin thus increases its censorship Digital in Russia. This Friday, a government source told the Russian agency RIA Novosti that they also prepare the prohibition of Youtube, which could take place this week. Moscow has also accelerated the crackdown on the internet by banning the download of VPNs, private networks with which citizens could bypass censorship to connect to social networks and prohibited web pages.