Facebook Banned Abroad For Being An “Extremist” Group

For as much trouble as Facebook faces here at home in the States, it must deal with even more abroad. This week, Russian politicians added Meta and its services to an “extremist” list, effectively holding it responsible for and accusing the company of terrorism.

The Russian government has already warned citizens that they could face criminal liability for using Meta’s products. The government could also fine or imprison citizens or companies that purchase Facebook ads on the grounds that it’s “sponsoring extremism.” According to experts, this rift between Facebook and the Russian government began after the country invaded Ukraine in April.

“Shortly after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government banned Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Western social media because they provided information about the war that contradicted the disinformation campaign conducted by the Kremlin,” Russian expert Rebekah Koffler told Fox News. She went on to note that the country is defining “extremist activity very broadly, making it a crime to criticize government officials and policy, using language such as ‘diminishing national dignity’ and ‘publicly expressing slander’ as examples of such ‘crimes.’”

Facebook is often accused of censoring content in the U.S., but cases like this make it clear how the company itself can face the same problem from dangerous and repressive regimes overseas.




Recommended Resources

bitdefender Choose what the experts use: award-winning cybersecurity you can trust and rely on.

PIA Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!

Report: Facebook Continues To Profit Off Ads Slandering LGBTQ Community Previous post Report: Facebook Continues To Profit Off Ads Slandering LGBTQ Community Report: Emojis Are Being Used To Easily Hide From Facebook’s Content Moderation Tools Next post Report: Emojis Are Being Used To Easily Hide From Facebook’s Content Moderation Tools