Bad weather for Meta in Russia.

A court on Monday banned social media giants Facebook and Instagram for "extremism", a move taken as Moscow seeks total control of online information amid an offensive in Ukraine.

“The court satisfied a lawsuit filed by the First Deputy Prosecutor General against the holding company Meta Platforms Inc. relating to the prohibition of its activities on Russian territory,” the court said.

This prohibition does not, however, target the messaging application WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, the court having found that it was not used as a means of “public dissemination of information”.

Sites already inaccessible for several days

Facebook and Instagram, the latter being particularly popular in Russia, are the latest victims of the takeover of information that the Russian authorities accelerated after the launch of the military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

These two social networks had already been blocked for several days, as well as Twitter and the sites of most of the still independent Russian media.

They are inaccessible unless you use a virtual private network (VPN).

On March 11, the Russian authorities had asked to classify Meta organization “extremist” by accusing it of having relaxed its regulations to allow the publication of violent messages against the Russian army and leaders in connection with the military operation of Moscow in Ukraine.

Monday in court, the prosecution reiterated this request, saying that Meta had justified "terrorist actions" and wanted to incite "hate and enmity" against Russians.

The Russian security services (FSB) also demanded on Monday the "immediate" ban of Facebook and Instagram.

Hard blow for many Russians

According to the Russian news agency TASS, a Meta representative told the court on Monday that the company had since changed its rules to ban "Russophobia and calls for violence".

Since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Ukraine on February 24, the Russian government has considerably strengthened its control of information disseminated on the Internet, one of the last spaces for free expression in the country.

The blocking and banning of Facebook, but especially Instagram, is a blow to many Russians who used them not only for entertainment, but also for business.

Bans on Facebook and Instagram are also likely to impact opposition movements, which, shunned by Kremlin-controlled mainstream media, regularly post on these platforms.

Google via YouTube also in the viewfinder

And the trend may not stop there: last week, the telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused the American giant Google and its video service YouTube of "terrorist" activities, a first step towards a possible blockage.

Still seeking to control information, the authorities introduced two new criminal offenses at the beginning of March: one for the dissemination of information "discrediting" the Russian army and the other for the dissemination of information "lies" about Russian troops.

The latter offense carries penalties of up to fifteen years in prison.

It particularly worries opponents and the independent media, who fear prosecution for any denunciation of the offensive.

At least three people, who had published messages against the conflict on the Internet, are already being prosecuted for this reason.

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