Meta Misses Opportunity To Appeal To Ban On Facebook And Instagram In Russia

JAKARTA - US social media giant Meta Platform Inc has missed a deadline to file a new appeal against Russia's Facebook and Instagram blocking in the country. This was reported by the RIA Novosti news agency on Wednesday, November 9 citing officials in court.

RIA reports Meta did not file an appeal, meaning the company has now lost the opportunity to file further lawsuits, including in Russia's Supreme Court, against Russia's decision to ban the social media platform.

Until now there has also been no official comment from Meta responding to the report.

Russia banned Facebook and Instagram as "extremist" companies in March when Moscow imposed sweeping restrictions on free speech at home following its invasion of Ukraine.

Meta lost his initial appeal in June for being labeled "extremist" in a court system that almost always favors state prosecutors.

Russia says there will be no penalties for Russians accessing the platform, for example via a virtual private network (VPN), and the WhatsApp Meta messenger service is not affected by the ban.