Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, has banned Russian state media outlets from its platforms worldwide. This decision, announced on Monday, stems from accusations by the United States that RT and its employees were involved in covert operations to influence social media platforms through shell entities. The ban has triggered a furious response from the Kremlin, which labeled it ‘unacceptable’ and accused Meta of undermining its credibility.
The US indictment alleges that RT funneled $10 million through shell entities to covertly fund influence campaigns on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube. Meta, in a statement, said that after careful consideration, they expanded their efforts to counter foreign interference by banning Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and related entities from their apps globally.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denounced the ban as a discrediting action by Meta. He stated that RT had been forced to cease operations in several countries, including Britain, Canada, the European Union, and the United States, due to sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The indictment, unsealed in New York, reveals that RT’s editor-in-chief acknowledged the creation of a “covert project empire” designed to shape public opinion in Western audiences. One of these projects involved the funding and direction of an online content creation company in Tennessee. This company, according to the indictment, has produced nearly 2,000 videos since its launch in late 2023, garnering over 16 million views on YouTube alone. Prosecutors allege that the company, funded by RT, failed to disclose its connection to the Russian state media outlet.
US prosecutors argue that RT’s actions constitute a malign influence campaign aimed at sowing domestic divisions in countries opposed to its policies, including the United States, with the intention of weakening opposition to Russian government objectives.
Meta has been actively combating foreign interference on its platforms since 2017, and Russia has been identified as the leading source of such covert operations. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these deceptive online influence efforts have intensified. Meta previously banned the Federal News Agency in Russia as part of its efforts to thwart the activities of the Russian Internet Research Agency.
The US State Department has highlighted the expansion of RT’s capabilities in the past year, noting the Russian government’s enhancement of its cyber operational capabilities and its ties to Russian intelligence. These cyber capabilities are primarily focused on influence and intelligence operations globally. The State Department further asserts that information gathered by covert RT operations is shared with Russia’s intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other “proxy arms” of the Russian government. The United States is actively engaging in diplomatic efforts to inform governments worldwide about Russia’s use of RT for covert activities and to encourage them to limit Russia’s ability to interfere in foreign elections and obtain weapons for its war in Ukraine.
