Russia accuses Facebook of censoring Russian media and “limits” access to the social network

In accordance with the decision of the prosecutor general on the social network Facebook, from February 25, Roskomnadzor adopts measures to limit its access, the Roskomnadzor agency said, without specifying the nature of the limitations.

And it is that the Russian regulator reproaches Facebook for having restricted the official accounts of the Russian chain Zvezda, linked to the Ministry of Defense, of the public press agency Ria Novosti and of the Russian online media Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru, to despite having requested an explanation of the reason for the ban.

“Roskomnadzor asked the Meta administration to lift the restrictions imposed by Facebook on Russian media outlets and to explain the reason for their imposition. But the request was ignored by the owners of the social network,” the agency reported.

In addition, Roskomnadzor also claimed to have observed 23 “cases of censorship” against Russian media and internet resources by Facebook since October 2020.

For this, Russia points to Facebook, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, for violating human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“The prosecution, in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, decided to recognize Facebook as a social network implicated in the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.” 

The decision to “restrict Facebook” in Russia comes after the country led by Vladimir Putin provoked a serious geopolitical crisis by invading Ukraine on Thursday morning.

And it is part of a series of measures taken by Russian authorities in recent years against large social networks, often under the guise of protecting minors and combating extremism.