Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many companies are suspending their activities in Russia, including Roku, TikTok, and PayPal. However, some other companies are banned in the country through Russian government agencies. Facebook and Twitter have confirmed that they are blocked from operating in Russia. A few days ago, Facebook’s parent company Meta said that it no longer allows Russia-affiliated media to run ads on the platform. Twitter also enacted a similar restriction against Russian state media. By the same token, Russia’s Roskomnadzor decision to suspend Facebook and Twitter activities in the country could be a retaliation. Currently, over 70 million Russian citizens are using Facebook each month. However, they can’t use the service anymore following the Roskomnadzor order.
Russia is retaliating Facebook and Twitter restrictions
In response to blocking Facebook in the country, Roskomnadzor said that what Meta did was “discrimination against Russian media and information resources.” Besides Meta and Twitter, Google also imposed similar restrictions on Russian state media. So Google should also wait for retaliation. Russia has developed its own search engine called Yandex, and restricting Google activities can pave the way for Yandex’s growth. Moreover, Meta released a statement following its new restriction in Russia. “Soon, millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends, and silenced from speaking out.” Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, said.” “We will continue to do everything we can to restore our services so they remain available to people to safely and securely express themselves and organize for action.” The conflict between the Russian government and Western tech companies operating in Russia is not new. Facebook, Twitter, and Google have faced numerous lawsuits in Russia and even had to pay millions of dollars in fines. Russia’s Roskomnadzor is responsible for regulating and censoring media activities in the county. Alongside the boycott of Russian state media by major online platforms, the European Union also banned RT and Sputnik News throughout the continent. Moreover, Apple and Microsoft have stopped their sales in Russia.
