Meta violates rights of Russian citizens, endangers national constitutional system - court ruling
MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - Moscow's Tverskoi District Court has published the full text of its ruling, which explains why Meta has been branded as extremist in Russia and its products - Facebook and Instagram - have been blocked.
"The court has found that the U.S. transnational holding Meta Platforms Inc. has been distributing materials calling for extremist violence against Russian citizens, violating the rights of Russian citizens and posing a threat to the constitutional system of the Russian Federation under the guise of commercial operations aimed at selling its products, the Facebook and Instagram social networks," the ruling said.
"The court finds Meta's activity extremist for the publication, dissemination and failure to block materials containing calls for both extremist violence against citizens of the Russian Federation and for changing the fundamentals of the constitutional system, which means illegal activity of this kind must cease," the ruling said.
The court noted, however, that the ban on Meta products - Facebook and Instagram - in Russia does not limit their use by individuals and legal entities.
"Such protective measures undertaken by the court do not limit the use of Meta company products by individuals and legal entities that are not engaged in outlawed activities," the court said.
Judge Olga Solopova noted in her ruling that the administrative penalties on Meta, i.e., fines imposed for violations of Russian laws, "which were initiated by the Russian authorities over a long period of time, appeared to be insufficient." For instance, the orders of courts and authorities that illegal and extremist materials be removed from Meta information resources were practically not fulfilled, she said.
The court also took into account a statement by Meta press secretary Andy Stone on March 11, according to which the company temporarily lifted the ban on calls for violence against Russians by social network users in certain countries amid the events in Ukraine. "As a result, numerous materials directly calling for murdering Russian citizens and committing other illegal, violent actions against them were found on Meta social networks," the court said.
The company noted in a statement on the corporate website that Meta was in contact with the Ukrainian government and had limited the access to several accounts in Ukraine, including the accounts of certain Russian state-run media outlets, at the Ukrainian government's request, the court said. The company added that it was processing requests from other governments regarding restrictions on Russian state-run media outlets, it said.
"It also noted the adoption of a package of various measures aimed at suppressing Russian media outlets that express a stance contrary to the interests of EU member states, Ukraine and the United States, thus violating its own rules and principles that seek to ensure equal ability to disseminate and receive information," the court said.
On March 21, Moscow's Tverskoi District Court upheld a motion from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office that branded Meta Platforms Inc. as an extremist organization, and prohibited it from selling products of the Facebook and Instagram social networks in Russia. The court decided that the measures would not apply to the WhatsApp messenger.