According to reports from Russian news agencies, Russia’s financial monitoring agency added Meta to its list of “terrorists and extremists.” The company owns the social media and messaging apps Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Meta was found guilty of “extremist activity” in Russia back in March. Russia blamed Meta for allegedly censoring out Russian news outlets while allowing posts that were anti-Russia on its platforms. An appeal from Meta, who argued the company was not carrying out extremist activity and was against Russophobia, was rejected in June.
Moscow has restricted access to Facebook and Instagram, although many Russian users still access them using virtual private networks (VPNs). Demand for VPNs skyrocketed after some Western internet services were blocked in March.
On Tuesday, Russian state-backed TASS news agency reported state communications regulator Roskomnadzor has updated its list of banned VPNs. It began trying to block VPNs in 2021, though many continue to work.
Officials have regularly said Meta’s “terrorists and extremists” tag in Russia does not extend to its WhatsApp messenger service.
“Rosfinmonitoring’s decision to put Meta on the list of extremist organizations in no way changes the situation for users of Meta’s social networks, users of Meta products are not breaking the law,” Senior Lawmaker Andrey Klishas wrote on Telegram on Tuesday. “There are no restrictions in relation to WhatsApp messenger.”
Lawyers and digital rights groups have, however, reported that Facebook and Instagram users are being warned over some posts. Pavel Chikov, a human rights lawyer, has warned that simply displaying the Instagram and Facebook logos, or advertising on those networks, could be deemed illegal under Russia’s criminal code.
Reuters contributed to this report.