Russia orders criminal investigation against Meta

According to Meta, the temporary adjustment was intended to enable for types of political speech that would typically violate its regulations.

As Russia’s invasion against Ukraine enters its sixteenth day, the Russian government has initiated a criminal prosecution against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta for “calling for the murder” of Russians.

Even as Russia’s invasion against Ukraine enters its sixteenth day, the Russian government has announced that it has initiated a criminal prosecution against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta for “calling for the murder” of Russians.

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The Kremlin has already threatened that Meta Platforms’ operations will be suspended. They stated that if the operator of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp enabled users to advocate for violence against Russians and the murder of President Vladimir Putin, they would be punished.

According to Reuters, reports of Meta’s emails reveal that the social media operator has relaxed its regulations for political speech, permitting messages such as “death to the Russian invaders.” They did, however, clarify that they would not advocate for the killing of Russian people.

According to Meta, the temporary adjustment was intended to enable for types of political speech that would typically violate its regulations. Its governing board stated on Friday that it is closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine and how Meta is reacting.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, which investigates significant crimes, announced an inquiry “due to illegal calls for the murder of Russian nationals by employees of the American company Meta.”

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia has also urged that the internet behemoth be labelled as “extremist” and that Instagram be restricted in the nation. The statement follows a Russian military campaign in Ukraine directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted a little over two weeks. Russia is also said to be attempting to prohibit any criticism of the military campaign.

“Meta’s aggressive and criminal policy leading to incitement of hatred and hostility towards Russians is outrageous,” the Russian embassy in Washington stated in a statement on Friday.

The General Prosecutor’s Office said, “materials were being distributed on Instagram that contained calls for committing violent acts against the citizens of Russia, including military personnel.”

It stated that it had urged Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media authority, to “restrict access” to Instagram. Russia banned Facebook in the nation last week in reaction to what it claimed were limits on access to Russian media on the network. This narrows the field to Instagram and WhatsApp.

Facebook and Instagram are prominent social media platforms in Russia, with Instagram being the most popular among young Russians. Since early March, Russia has been unable to access Twitter or Facebook.