Meta and Alphabet have prohibited ads from Russian state media.
Meta said it is also demonetising the accounts of Russian state media and will continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. As of 27 February, Meta has also restricted access to several accounts in Ukraine, including those belonging to some Russian state media organisations. It is also reviewing other government requests to restrict Russian state-controlled media.
Meta explained in a blog post that ads and posts from state-controlled media outlets on Facebook and Instagram are labelled prominently. These labels are also applied to Instagram profiles, the "About this Account" section of Instagram accounts, the Page Transparency section of Facebook Pages, and in Meta's Ads Library. The tech giant also refused an order from the Russian authorities to stop the independent fact-checking and labelling of content posted on Facebook by four Russian state media organisations.
VP of global affairs, Nick Clegg, tweeted that ordinary Russians are using its apps to express themselves and organise for action. "We want them to continue to make their voices heard, share what's happening, and organise through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger," he added.
Ordinary Russians are using @Meta's apps to express themselves and organize for action. We want them to continue to make their voices heard, share what’s happening, and organize through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. pic.twitter.com/FjTovgslCe
— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) February 25, 2022
According to Meta, state-controlled media, like other publishers, are eligible for fact-checking, and its third-party fact-checking partners can and do rate their content. State-controlled outlets must follow Meta's Community Standards and Advertising Policies. To reduce the spread of misinformation, Meta is also taking steps such as removing content that violates its policies and working with third-party fact-checkers in the region to debunk false claims, expanding its third-party fact-checking capacity in Russian and Ukrainian languages across the region.
