Meta's Social Media Is Now Labeled As Extremism, No Longer Able To Operate Business In Russia

Instagram, owned by Meta Platform Inc., is now unable to operate business in Russia. (photo: John / Pixabay)

JAKARTA - After access was restricted, now a Russian court has officially banned Facebook and Instagram in the country. It also labels its parent company, Meta Platform Inc., as extremist.

Both are prohibited from operating their business in Russia. But WhatsApp, Meta's messaging app, is still allowed to stay there. This started when there were calls for violence against Russian citizens on Meta's platform.

The ban was ordered by the court based on a decision by Russian Judge Olga Solopova of Moscow's Tverskoy Court, which takes effect immediately.

The court ruled that Russian individuals would not be held responsible for extremist content by continuing to use Facebook and Instagram.

The order follows Russia's announcement on March 4. They said they would block access to Facebook and Twitter after Meta banned several state media accounts from being on its social media network.

With this ban, Meta will now be prohibited from opening branches in Russia and doing business in Russia. On March 10, an internal Facebook email said Meta would allow users in several countries to call for violence against Russia and Russian soldiers in the context of the invasion of Ukraine. This, of course, marks a shift away from hate speech policies on the platform.

The ban is another step in the Kremlin-led institution's efforts to counter US social media platforms in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion.

However, it is not surprising that Russia retains WhatsApp. According to data published by Insider Intelligence, WhatsApp is one of the most popular applications in Russia in 2021, used by 65 percent of internet users in the country.

According to an NBC News report on Tuesday, March 22, the usage of WhatsApp in Russia even surpasses that of Telegram. In fact, this local messaging platform is used by Russian state media to publish official government communications.