The Russian government claimed today that it had partially blocked access to Facebook in the country in retaliation after the social network “restricted” the accounts of four Russian media outlets.
Russia’s tech and communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement on Friday that Facebook was violating “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens” as it recorded 23 cases of “censorship” of the social network since October 2020.
On February 24, Roskomnadzor issued a request to the management of Meta Platforms, Inc. to lift the restrictions imposed by the social network Facebook on Russian media and to explain the reasons for the introduction of these restrictions,” the regulator added. Meta has subsequently “ignored” its demands.
Meta has not publicly confirmed its actions against Russian media accounts, although they may be linked to state-backed propaganda that Russia is invading Ukraine.
It’s unclear what Roskomnadzor’s partial restrictions on Facebook mean, or whether the government is also blocking access to Meta-owned WhatsApp in the country in some way. A spokesman for the company had no immediate comment.
