Russian Court Bans Facebook and Instagram

Russian courts took further steps against Meta's Facebook and Instagram on Monday under the country's "extremism" law, banning companies from doing business in Russia, but  Russian users will still be able to use WhatsApp. 

The ban by court order was based on the decision of Russian judge Olga Solopois of the Tverskoy court in Moscow and came into effect immediately. The court ruled that individual Russians would not be held liable for "extremism" if they continued to use Facebook and Instagram.

Meta is prohibited to open a branch office in Russia and will be banned from doing business in Russia. The Russian public prosecutor's office cited a call for violence against Russian citizens on the meta-platform as a reason for the ban.

The ban is another step in the Kremlin-led institution's efforts to fight the US social media platform following the Ukraine invasion. Disinformation experts have also said that Russia's alleged campaign to spread the false stories surrounding the aggression has increased since the conflict began.

Interfax, another Russian state media organisation reported that a Meta representative was present at Russia’s hearings and argued that the country did not have judicial oversight over a foreign company.