Key Takeaways:
– Meta has announced a ban on Russian state media outlets across its global apps, citing ‘foreign interference activity.’
– United States accuses RT and its employees of covertly funding influence campaigns on social media.
– Despite the Kremlin’s criticism of Meta’s action, sanctions have forced RT to halt formal operations in several nations.
– U.S prosecutors highlight RT’s undisclosed funding and role in disseminating propaganda in ‘Western audiences.’
– Since 2017, Russia has been the largest source of disrupted covert influence operations on Meta’s platform.
Meta, the tech conglomerate that owns popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, declared an extensive global ban on Russian state media outlets late Monday. The decisive move is tied to accusations of ‘foreign interference activity,’ a statement from the company stated.
The Ban in Context
The Silicon Valley giant’s crackdown comes in the wake of alarming accusations by the United States. Allegedly, RT, a Kremlin-backed news outlet, along with its employees, slid an estimated $10 million through shell companies. The hidden aim? To fund covert influence campaigns discretely on social media such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
“After extensive evaluation, we took the next step in our existing campaign against Russian state media outlets,” Meta’s statement read when asked by AFP. The ban targets Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and other similarly connected entities.
Kremlin Responds
The Kremlin swiftly condemned Meta’s decision on Tuesday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denounced the move, stating that “Such actions against Russian media are unacceptable,” and “Meta discredits itself” with such actions.
Foreign Sanctions Against RT
Sanctions against Russia following its Ukraine invasion in February 2022 forced RT to halt formal operations in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Britain, as per the indictment unsealed in New York.
RT: An Empire of Covert Projects
The indictment further quotes RT’s chief editor stating the news outlet had erected “an entire empire of covert projects.” These projects aimed at manipulating public opinion within ‘Western audiences,’ the indictment stated.
One such covert project includes funding and directing an undisclosed Tennessee-based online content creation company. Since its launch in late 2023, the operation supported by Russia has reportedly posted around 2,000 videos that amassed more than 16 million views on YouTube alone.
The Influence of Russian Media
The indictment highlighted an instance where the company pushed content producers into making biased content favoring Russia. Yet, viewers were kept in the dark about the company’s funding source, RT.
Meta’s Past Actions Against Russian Interference
Meta has continuously struggled to check foreign interference from Russia. As the largest source of covert influence operations disrupted on its platform since 2017, such efforts amplified after Russia’s Ukraine invasion. Previously, to thwart foreign interference activities, Meta banned the Federal News Agency in Russia.
Russian State Media’s Enhanced Capabilities
U.S. State Department claims that Russia beefed up RT’s capabilities in early 2022. It enhanced the media outlet with “cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence.”
The Covert Operations of RT
The information collected by covert RT operations flows to numerous entities. These include Russia’s intelligence services, media outlets, mercenary groups, and other government “proxy arms,” maintained by the United States.
Moving Forward
The State Department is working to inform governments globally about Russia’s use of RT for covert activities. They encourage countries to take actions that limit “Russia’s ability to interfere in foreign elections and procure weapons for its war against Ukraine.”