Meta is banning Russian state media outlets like RT from its apps everywhere

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced a global prohibition on several Russian state media networks, accusing them of employing deceptive practices to conduct influence operations and evade detection on its platforms. "After thorough review, we have intensified our enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and associated entities are now banned from our platforms worldwide due to their foreign interference activities," Meta said.

The ban, affecting networks such as Rossiya Segodnya and RT (formerly Russia Today), is expected to be implemented shortly. Neither the Russian embassy in Washington, RT, nor Rossiya Segodnya, the owner of Sputnik news agency, immediately responded to BBC’s request for comment.

Russian state media networks have come under increased scrutiny amid claims that they have attempted to sway political events in Western countries. Meta, which had previously taken limited actions to restrict the reach of Russian state-controlled media by banning their advertisements and limiting content visibility, is now taking a more comprehensive approach.

This decision follows the company's compliance with requests from the EU, UK, and Ukraine to block specific Russian state media following the onset of the Ukraine war.

Earlier this month, the US accused RT of paying $10 million to a Tennessee firm to create and distribute content with covert Russian government messaging aimed at American audiences.

An indictment alleged that RT employees were involved in editing, posting, and directing videos promoting right-wing narratives on issues like immigration, gender, and the economy.

Additionally, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against RT, describing it as a "de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus."

"RT is part of a network of Russian-backed media that has sought to secretly undermine democracy in the United States," Blinken said, noting that the Russian government had integrated a unit with cyber capabilities and connections to Russian intelligence within RT.

RT responded to Blinken’s statements by live-streaming the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), dismissing it as the "US’s latest conspiracy theory."