Meta to Bar Russian State Media From Running Ads, Monetising on Platform Amid Ukraine Crisis

Meta said earlier that Russia would hit its services with restrictions after it refused authorities' order.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 27 February 2022 14:15 IST

Facebook will continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media

Highlights

Facebook said it will keep applying labels to additional state media
Social media have become one of the fronts in Russia's invasion
Russia's media regulator said it was limiting access to Facebook

Facebook on Friday restricted Russian state media's ability to earn money on the social media platform as Moscow's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine reached the streets of Kyiv.

"We are now prohibiting Russian state media from running ads or monetising on our platform anywhere in the world," Nathaniel Gleicher, the social media giant's security policy head, said on Twitter.

He added that Facebook would "continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media."

Google Blocks RT, Other Russian Channels From Earning Ad Dollars

Facebook's parent company Meta said earlier Friday that Russia would hit its services with restrictions after it refused authorities' order to stop using fact-checkers and content warning labels on its platforms.

Social media networks have become one of the fronts in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, home to sometimes misleading information but also real-time monitoring of a quickly developing conflict that marks Europe's biggest geopolitical crisis in decades.

"Yesterday, Russian authorities ordered us to stop the independent fact-checking and labelling of content posted on Facebook by four Russian state-owned media organisations," Meta's Nick Clegg said in a statement. "We refused."

Twitter Says Its Site Is Being Restricted in Russia Amid Ukraine Crisis

His statement came hours after Russia's media regulator said it was limiting access to Facebook, accusing the US tech giant of censorship and violating the rights of Russian citizens.

On Wednesday, Facebook also released a feature in Ukraine that allows people to lock their profiles for increased security, using a tool the company also deployed after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban last year.

Ukraine-Russia Crisis: Facebook, Twitter Highlight Security Steps for Users

Gleicher said Facebook had set up a Special Operations Center to monitor the situation in Ukraine "in response to the unfolding military conflict."

Can Realme 9 Pro and 9 Pro+ win their respective segments? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, Meta, Facebook Russia Ban, Meta Russia Ban, Facebook Russia, Meta Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Russia Ukraine War, Ukraine Russia Crisis, Vladimir Putin, Russia Ukraine Attack