Facebook owner bans Russian state media networks

Facebook proprietor Meta says it is banning respective Russian authorities media networks, alleging they usage deceptive tactics to transportation retired power operations and evade detection connected its platforms.

"After cautious consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian authorities media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and different related entities are present banned from our apps globally for overseas interference activity," Meta said.

In a quality bulletin, RT newsreader Eunan O'Neill said the broadcaster "and Russia arsenic a full denies the accusations that person been coming en masse against this transmission and others successful the past fig of days".

The bans are expected to travel into effect successful the adjacent fewer days.

The Russian embassy successful Washington and the proprietor of the Sputnik quality agency, Rossiya Segodnya, did not instantly respond to BBC requests for comment.

Russian authorities media outlets person travel nether accrued scrutiny implicit claims they person tried to power authorities successful Western countries.

As good arsenic Facebook, societal media elephantine Meta owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.

The determination marks an escalation successful the world's biggest societal media firm's stance towards Russian authorities media companies.

Two years ago, Meta took much constricted measures to restrict the dispersed of Russian state-controlled media, including stopping the outlets from moving adverts connected its platforms and limiting the scope of their content.

After the commencement of the warfare successful Ukraine, Meta - similar different societal media platforms - complied with requests from the EU, UK and Ukraine to artifact immoderate Russian authorities media successful those regions.

Earlier this month, the US accused authorities broadcaster RT of paying a Tennessee steadfast $10m (£7.6m) to "create and administer contented to US audiences with hidden Russian authorities messaging".

An indictment said videos - which often promoted right-wing narratives connected issues specified arsenic immigration, sex and the system - were secretly "edited, posted, and directed" by 2 RT employees.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced caller sanctions against RT, accusing it of being a "de facto limb of Russia's quality apparatus".

The apical US diplomat told reporters connected Friday that RT was portion of a web of Russian-backed media outlets which person sought to covertly "undermine ideology successful the United States".

He added that the Russian authorities has "embedded wrong RT, a portion with cyber-operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence".

RT livestreamed Mr Blinken's remarks connected X and declared it the "US's latest conspiracy theory".