Russia’s Wanted: Meta Platforms Representative on the Run!

According to Voice of America, a spokesperson for Meta Platforms, the US tech conglomerate that owns Facebook and Instagram, has been included in Russia’s wanted list as per an online database maintained by the country’s interior ministry.

Russian state agency Tass and independent news magazine Mediazona reported on spokesman Andy Stone’s list on Saturday.

In October, Russian authorities classified Meta as a “terrorist and extremist organization,” opening the way for possible criminal proceedings against Russian residents who use its platforms.

Listed as a “terrorist and extremist organization,” Meta can lead to criminal investigations and fines for users.

The Home Office database does not provide details about Stone’s case, saying only that he is wanted on criminal charges.

Mediazona, an independent news site covering the Russian opposition and the prison system, claims Stone has been wanted since February 2022, but authorities did not make any related statements at the time, and the news media did not report the matter until this week, the Voice reported. from America.

In March of this year, the Russian Federal Investigative Committee started a criminal investigation of Meta. It was alleged that the company’s actions following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine incited violence against Russians.

Stone announced temporary changes to Meta Platforms’ hate speech policy following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. The changes allow “forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, such as violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’

In the same statement, Stone added that “credible calls for violence against Russian civilians” remain prohibited.

Mediazona claimed on Sunday that an unspecified Russian court earlier this month issued an arrest warrant for Stone for “promoting terrorism”.

Western social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, were popular among Russian youth before Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine. The popular apps have since been blocked in the country as part of a broad crackdown on independent media and other forms of critical speech.

These applications can still be accessed using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which can be easily downloaded to phones and laptops.

In April 2022, Russia also officially banned Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country, Voice of America reported.