Russia Opens Criminal Investigation Into Facebook For Allowing Posts Inciting Violence

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Facebook made the landmark decision this week to allow some posts calling for violence against Russian soldiers.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders,’” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told The Verge.

Notably, this policy change only applies to users from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. It also doesn’t include calls for violence against Russian citizens, and these posts are still only allowed when there are no “indicators of credibility” that the user means to act. However, that didn’t stop Russia from opening a “criminal investigation” into Facebook for its new policy, claiming that the company is supporting terrorism against Russian citizens.

“A criminal case has been initiated… in connection with illegal calls for murder and violence against citizens of the Russian Federation by employees of the American company Meta,” Russia’s investigative committee said. “Such actions of the (Meta) company’s management not only form an idea that terrorist activity is permissible, but are aimed at inciting hatred and enmity towards the citizens of the Russian Federation.”

Of course, it isn’t entirely clear what consequences Russia’s case could possibly have, especially since the country is cut off from much of the western world. But Facebook’s decision is still eye-opening proof that the company can control far more of our online life than it cares to admit.




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