Russian Court calls Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, an extremist organization and bans it.
A Russian court ruled that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is an extremist organization and banned it from operating on Russia’s territory.
The “extremist” label will apply to Instagram and Facebook, but not to WhatsApp, and is effective immediately, according to Tass, a state news agency. The ruling followed Meta’s decision to allow users in Ukraine to call for violence against the Russian Army in the context of the invasion.
During arguments in the Tverskoy court in Moscow, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said that individuals will not be prosecuted for using Instagram or Facebook. But, according to an analysis by a legal rights group that tracks internet freedoms in Russia, Net Freedoms Project, the court’s ruling will mean that using Instagram or Facebook logos in public — for example, on a clothing store’s website or on the door of a cafe — could result in up to 15 days in jail.