Russia to 'partially restrict' Facebook, citing censorship

Moscow: Russia’s media regulator said it was limiting access to Facebook, accusing the US tech giant of censorship and of violating the rights of Russian citizens.

The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that starting Friday it "is adopting measures to partially restrict access" to Facebook.

The agency did not specify what the measures would be.

The Russian regulator accuses Facebook of imposing restrictions on the official accounts on its platform of the government-linked Russian television channel Zvezda, state-run news agency RIA Novosti and online media outlets media Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru.

Roskomnadzor said it sent Facebook parent Meta a request on Thursday to lift the restrictions and explain why they were imposed.

"The owners of the social network ignored Roskomnadzor’s demands," it said.

In the statement, the regulator also accused Facebook of 23 similar instances of "censorship" since October 2020.

Facebook did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.

Moscow’s move comes two days after Russia staged a large-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, in the biggest geopolitical crisis in Europe in decades.

It follows the government in recent years taking a series of measures to limit online freedoms for Russians.

SOURCE: AFP