Meta Inc has announced it will be bannin♔g Russian news agencies RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Moscow-based and controlled media networks for alleged "foreign interference".
This announcement comes after 🥃the US Department of Justice accused two RT employees of money laundering ♑and a scheme to hire American companies to influence the result of the upcoming presidential elections.
"After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity," reads the offi🔜cial statement issued by Meta.
The ban will be enforced in the next few days and will be applicable to all Meta apps and platforms such as Facebook, Instꦬagram, Threats and WhatsApp.
Whཧile an official confirmation from the Russian government i💛s awaited, RT has denied all allegations and stated that the United STates is "hindering the state broadcaster's ability to function as a journalistic organisation".
Days before Meta's announcement, US Secretary of Sta🌄te Antony warned othe𓂃r countries and stated that broadcasters like RT must be monitored and treated in a manner similar to covert Russian operations.
The action on Russia media also comes after various reports of Moscow's alleged interference to influence the outcome of the November Elections between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Russia's Long History Of Foreign Inteference
In the recent years, Russia has been accused of foreign interferenc🅠e by many countries. However, when it comes to the United States, Moscow has a long history of tryin🦂g to interference and influence.
Russian interference in US electꦐions dates back to the Cold War when Moscow tried to destroy the candidacy of Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
More recently, Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections was also witnessed through 😼the hacking of Demcoratic candidate Hilary Clinton's campaign and more to influence the vote towards Donald Trump.
Russia was accused of releasing politically damaging information on the internet; spreading propaganda on Twit🐲ter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram; staging rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania and setting up meetings with members of the Trump campaign and its associates.
Furthermore, Russia also targeted voter registration systems in around 21🐈 states before Election Day and accessed states' systems to s🅷teal thousands of voters' data and personal information.
Along with this, Russia✅ns were also accused of hacking into the Hillary Clinton campaign, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee. Washington also stated Russia tried to hack tꦆhe campaign of Senator Marco Rubio and the Republican National Committee.
Despite evidence of Russian interference, the United States said that the Kremlin-backed propaganda and efforts did not alter the actual votes, but did steal voter♒ data.
UK, Canada Also Accuse Russia Of Interference
Ahead of the 2024 General Elections in the United Kingdom, Russia was once again accused of interfering in the electoral process. As per former Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Moscow was allegedly trying to influence the vote by drawing support for Reform UK - a far-right party led by Nigel ꦍFarage.
Over in Canada, Moscow has been accused of interfering in the 2019 and 2021 elections. This ac🐷cusation came to light after certain government documents were leaked accusing China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Russia of interfering in the Ca꧅nadian electoral process.
While India has been ruled out from the list, an investigation is underway to uncover the interferenꩲce attempts. Canada also stated that the interference showed "no alteration of the results, it remains as a stain on Ottawa's electoral process".
