Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Meta And Seeks To Designate It An ‘Extremist Organization’

Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Meta And Seeks To Designate It An ‘Extremist Organization’

Share to Linkedin Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation into Facebook parent company Meta and moved to label the company an "extremist organization" and ban its operations in Russia in response to Meta temporarily allowing users on Facebook to express hate speech against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee, a federal agency that investigates major crimes and reports to President Vladimir Putin, said Friday that a criminal case has opened "in connection with illegal calls for murder and violence against citizens of the Russian Federation" by Meta, Reuters reported Russian prosecutors asked a court Friday to designate Meta as an "extremist organization" and ban its operations in Russia, Russian news agency RIA reported. A spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "Most decisive actions to block the activities of" Meta would be needed if the company's decision to ease hate speech rules against Russia's invasion of Ukraine is confirmed, the Wall Street Journal reported. Russia suggested that WhatsApp, the most popular mobile messaging app in the country, would not be affected by the criminal case against Meta, RIA reported citing a source. Russian prosecutors are also taking steps to restrict access to Instagram, the most popular social network