Update, March 11, 2022 (21:55 CET, 14:55 CST) Meta responded to Russia's accusations about the possibility of appointing the company as an extremist organization.
Nick Clegg, president of Global Affairs at Meta, published a letter explaining his content policy.
Our policies focus on protecting people's speech rights as an expression of self-defense in reaction to a military invasion of their country. If we were to apply our standard content policies without any adjustments, we would be removing content from ordinary Ukrainians expressing their resistance and anger against the invading military forces, which would rightly be considered unacceptable.
Nick Clegg The manager mentioned that they have nothing against the people of Russia and that they will apply the measure only in Ukraine. “This is a temporary decision made under extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances.” said.
Original note. Russia could block Instagram throughout the country. The decision comes in response to a Meta policy that allows posts that call for violence against Russians in the context of the Ukraine war.
According to the Interfax news agency, the Attorney General's Office asked the court to recognize Meta as an extremist organization . The petition is based on the Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activities and requests the banning of Meta on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The reaction of the Prosecutor's Office and other organs of the Russian Government is due to a new policy of Mark Zuckerberg's company. Yesterday it was reported that Meta will allow content that calls for violence against Russia, her army and Vladimir Putin .
According to Reuters, Meta warned its moderators that it will temporarily allow death threats against Putin or Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus.
The temporary policy only concerns content related to the invasion of Ukraine and has certain limitations. Calls for violence against Russians are only allowed in entries that refer to the war and are limited to certain countries. The death threats to Putin and Lukashenko will only be allowed in Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
Russia would sue Meta for terrorism and incitement to hatred and violence
As a result of this, the Roskomnadzor published a statement where requires Meta Platforms Inc to confirm or refute the information. Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office warned that could initiate a trial for crimes related to propaganda of terrorism and incitement to hatred.
Alexander Khinshtein, head of the Information Policy Committee of the State Duma, said that Instagram should be blocked in Russia, as happened with Facebook. In an interview with the state channel Rossiya 24, Khinshtein stated that if the technology company does not respond, it will be understood as a confirmation of the reports.
The lawmaker called on his colleagues and Roskomnadzor to “take tougher measures” against Meta if he confirms the reports. In recent days, the telecommunications regulatory body blocked Facebook throughout Russia. The action was due to the fact that the social network vetoed RT and Sputnik, and imposed restrictions on state-backed media.
Blocking Instagram is a matter of time. Meta has already confirmed that they temporarily allow “forms of political expression that would normally violate the rules.”
