Russia partially restricts access to Facebook to 'protect Russian media'

Russia partially restricts access to Facebook to 'protect Russian media

The Russian government has partially blocked access to Facebook in the country after it claims the social network has "banned" the accounts of four Russian media outlets.

In a statement on Friday, Russia's technical and communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said Facebook was infringing "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens", and that it has filed 23 cases of "censorship" by the social network since October 2020.

“On February 24, Roskomnadzor sent a request to the administration of Meta Platform, Inc. [to] remove the restrictions imposed by the social network Facebook on Russian media and explain the reason for their introduction,” said the Russian regulator, Meta "Ignored" its requests.

Meta has yet to publicly confirm the actions taken against Russian media accounts, although they may have to do with state-backed propaganda about Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. It's not clear what Roskomnadzor's partial sanctions against Facebook mean or if the government is somehow blocking access to Meta-owned WhatsApp in the country. A Meta spokesperson did not immediately comment.