Meta Expands Ban on Russian State Media Accounts Ahead of U.S. Election
With just six weeks left until the U.S. presidential election, Meta has announced an expanded ban on Russian state media accounts. Recent investigations have revealed that Russia-based groups are actively trying to influence the opinions of American voters.
Meta’s decision comes after reports from Reuters detailing the deceptive tactics used by Russian state media networks like RT and Rossiya Segodnya to carry out covert influence operations online. This move by Meta follows the United States filing money-laundering charges against two RT employees for attempting to influence the 2024 election.
The scheme involved a Russian influence group paying U.S. right-wing commentators through a front media company called Tenet Media. Well-known commentators such as Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin were unknowingly used by Russian state media to amplify political division among U.S. voters.
Meta has been under scrutiny since the 2016 election for its role in allowing Russian groups to use Facebook ads and groups to influence American voters. These efforts are not necessarily aimed at electing a specific candidate but rather at altering global opinions on issues relevant to Russian interests, such as the war in Ukraine.
Chinese influence groups also employ similar tactics, raising subtle questions about U.S. aggression or interference in Chinese operations to shift global perspectives. Meta has been actively countering these influence operations for years to protect its platform from covert campaigns like “Doppelganger,” which aims to weaken international support for Ukraine.
Despite potential backlash from Russian leadership, Meta’s decision to expand the ban on Russian state media is a significant step in combating foreign interference. The move may anger Russian officials, but Meta has already faced consequences like the ban of Facebook and Instagram for refusing to remove misinformation about Ukraine in 2022.
Other social platforms have also taken action against RT in the past, with Twitter banning RT from advertising in 2017 due to concerns about election interference. It remains to be seen how far Meta will go in blocking Russian state media, especially with the U.S. election rapidly approaching.
As we approach the election, it will be crucial to monitor Meta’s actions and the impact of its bans on Russian state media accounts in the long term.