Another proof of the political affiliation of the big internet companies with the United States government was the latter’s condemnation, made this Monday, of the decision of the Russian Justice to ban the activities of the technological giant Meta, parent of Facebook and Instagram, for considering it an extremist organization for allowing calls for violence against Russians.
“We condemn the decision of a Moscow court to designate Meta, including Facebook and Instagram, as ‘extremists’. This attack on the right to information must stop,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Twitter.
The decision of the Russian Justice satisfied the demand of the Prosecutor’s Office to ban the activities of Facebook and Instagram in the country for their “extremist activities” by allowing calls for violence against Russians.
The ruling does not apply to Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service because it does not contain functions for the public dissemination of information.
In the wake of the Russia-NATO conflict unfolding in Ukraine, Meta announced that it would allow users in Ukraine, Russia and Poland to bypass its usage rules and broadcast messages that would normally be prohibited such as “death to the Russian invader.”
Meta prohibits “credible” death threats against Russian civilians, but allows calls for the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
