Meta Bans RT & Other Russian State Media for Foreign Interference

[Social Media]

 

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and other popular apps, announced a significant move on Monday by banning Russia Today (RT), Rossiya Segodnya, and other Russian state-affiliated media networks from its platforms. The social media giant cited that these outlets had engaged in deceptive tactics, using covert operations to influence public opinion online.

 

 

In a written statement, Meta explained, “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity.” This decision signals Meta’s most decisive action yet against Russian state media, as it prepares to enforce the ban over the coming days across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

 

This action marks a dramatic shift from Meta’s previous steps, which had included more limited actions such as blocking ads from Russian state media and reducing the reach of their posts. Now, the full ban escalates the tech giant’s stance in a much more aggressive manner. It also comes in the wake of a legal battle in the United States, where earlier this month, two RT employees were charged with money laundering. U.S. officials claim that the scheme was part of an effort to hire an American company to produce content aimed at influencing the upcoming 2024 election.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also weighed in, stating last Friday that nations should treat the activities of Russian state broadcasters, like RT, as covert intelligence operations. In response to these moves, RT has mocked U.S. actions, accusing the United States of trying to suppress its ability to operate as a journalistic entity.

 

According to Meta, Russian state-controlled media outlets have previously tried to evade detection and may continue to do so, using increasingly deceptive methods. Meta expects that these attempts at influence operations will likely persist, but the company is committed to remaining vigilant and enforcing these bans rigorously.

 

Credit: Daily Telegraph 2024-09-18

 

 

 

[Tug]

Good!

[gargamon]

But rt is still allowed here as a source for purportedly true information?

[Hakuna Matata]

 

 

Quote

Washington’s efforts to destroy RT’s ability to distribute its programs in the United States have been of long duration. What is changing now that makes this newsworthy is the decision by Mark Zuckerberg, the substantial owner and director of Meta, CEO of its Facebook and other platforms counting many millions of subscribers, to ban RT and several other Russian news purveyors from Meta’s global network.

 

Scott Ritter rightly denounced this U.S. government-inspired attack on RT as a war not on the Russian broadcaster but on the American people, whom it seeks to deprive of the right to decide for itself whom it watches, whom it listens to without U.S. government interference.  The intent of the latest decision by Meta, which bends to the policy dictated to it by Capitol Hill, is to cancel our freedoms.

 

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2024

[Hakuna Matata]

6 hours ago, gargamon said:

But rt is still allowed here as a source for purportedly true information?

 

Here is not America. Thailand doesn't care.

[frank83628]

RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA , YAWN!!

 

US government bans RT would be a more accurate headline,  because they an authoritarian regime and dont want people seeing the truth behind the western propaganda

[stevenl]

16 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

 

 

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2024

Link please 

[johng]

When will they ban BBC, NPR,PBS   VOA  etc etc etc ???

[Chomper Higgot]

35 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA , YAWN!!

 

US government bans RT would be a more accurate headline,  because they an authoritarian regime and dont want people seeing the truth behind the western propaganda

“Russia, if you are listening”

 

Said a man who hopes American voters are not.

[pentagara]

Who watches this stuff anyway? RT is the Russian government's public relations channel, fully funded by the state (and probably Gasprom). It's like watching AlJazeera reporting about Qatari politics, Fox about right-wing US politics, asking Biden about the effectiveness of Bidenomics while expecting unbiased information, or watching a Nestle ad to inform yourself about helathy food products ('eat candy, it's full of calcium and vitamins').

[Social Media]

A post containing an unapproved video source (Scott Ritter) Has been removed

[johng]

2 minutes ago, pentagara said:

Who watches this stuff anyway?

 

Its more about the right to watch it  and also the importance of hearing views from all sides  and then making up your own mind.

as you say there are biases from every source  so listening to as many sources as you can   is always better than only listening to one.

[NativeBob]

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

Antony Blinken also weighed in, stating last Friday that nations should treat the activities of Russian state broadcasters, like RT, as covert intelligence operations.

another dumb comment from the guy with the biggest pupils and cry-baby face. 

 

but that's correct - RT is impossible to watch. the worst example of "how to manage TV broadcaster". 

used to like France24 but it also turn into replica of Euronews. 

[frank83628]

Scott Ritters CV is quite extensive, why is he not allowed to be posted here, does the same apply for Tulsi & RFK??
 

William Scott Ritter Jr. (born July 15, 1961) is an American former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, former United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspector,

 

[mithunonthenet]

12 hours ago, Social Media said:

suppress its ability to operate as a journalistic entity

 

LOL, a Putin mouthpiece media outlet calling itself a "journalistic entity" 😄 Calls itself Russia Today and yet, 90% of the news is about USA and the EU.

[frank83628]

28 minutes ago, mithunonthenet said:

 

LOL, a Putin mouthpiece media outlet calling itself a "journalistic entity" 😄 Calls itself Russia Today and yet, 90% of the news is about USA and the EU.

yep, showing people what the US and EU would like to keep quiet, you should try it, you might learn something outside the msm bubble

[gargamon]

5 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Here is not America. Thailand doesn't care.

I was talking about AN. Thai owned? I don't know.

[beautifulthailand99]

If you really want to watch it it's on Rumble.

[CallumWK]

8 hours ago, pentagara said:

RT is the Russian government's public relations channel, fully funded by the state (and probably Gasprom).

 

Every government in the world has a media mouthpiece, so should we ban all of them, or just those we don't want to hear for one reason or another.

Nobody is forced to tune into RT or read their posts

[stevenl]

9 hours ago, CallumWK said:

 

Every government in the world has a media mouthpiece, so should we ban all of them, or just those we don't want to hear for one reason or another.

Nobody is forced to tune into RT or read their posts

Again someone with no clue on the workings of social media.

[JonnyF]

FaceBook seem very selective about the misinformation and election interference that they ban and that which they allow.

 

 

 

 

[CallumWK]

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Again someone with no clue on the workings of social media.

 

You don't say.

Every government uses social media to influence the population, but you obviously aren't smart enough to realize that.