Russia blocks access to Facebook after ‘discrimination against Russian media’

The Russian Federation has immediately blocked access to Facebook. According to the Russian government, the social medium has been responsible for “26 cases of discrimination against Russian media” since October 2020.

Facebook is said to have denied access to state broadcaster Zvezda, the RIA Novost news agency and state-run media such as Sputnik and Russia Today, among others. These examples of social media blockages were all deployed only after the invasion of Ukraine. According to the Federal Office of Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Communications, also known as Roskomnadzor, this is nevertheless prohibited under Law 272-FZ.

The government body claims that Facebook’s actions are hindering unfettered access to Russian and international media. “The law was passed to ensure that the principle of free information and unimpeded access for Russian users to Russian media and foreign internet platforms is not hindered.”

in a comment On Facebook’s blockade, Meta chief executive Nick Clegg predicts that Russian citizens will soon be completely cut off from the outside world: silenced to speak out [over de oorlog in Oekraïne]Clegg pledges to do everything he can to restore access to Meta’s services so that “everyone can share their views and get organized to take action.”

The restriction imposed on Facebook by the Russian government is an extension of several censorship laws that are currently being implemented. On Friday, NOS reported that Russians could face up to 15 years in prison for sharing “false information” about the war in Ukraine. Residents of the country who in the eyes of the government ‘falsify’ articles can currently face a sentence of up to three years of hard labor or a fine of thousands of euros.