The court banned Instagram and Facebook. What does this mean for users

On Monday, March 21, the Tverskoy COURT of Moscow recognized the activities of the social networks Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta Platforms Inc., as extremist and banned them in Russia, the press service of the court told RBC.

Roskomnadzor and the Prosecutor General's Office asked Meta to be recognized as an extremist organization. This was in response to the publication of an internal letter from the company, which reported that it was temporarily lifting the ban on its social networks for residents of a number of countries to post information containing calls for violence against Russian citizens, including military personnel. As a Meta spokesperson later explained, they allowed incitement to violence against the military, but intended to limit it to ordinary Russian citizens.

Facebook has been blocked in Russia since March 4, and Instagram since March 14. What will change after the recognition of their owner as an extremist organization - in the material of RBC.

Is it possible to post

The prosecutor, who appeared in court in the case of recognizing Meta as an extremist organization, said that the use of Facebook and Instagram by citizens and companies cannot be recognized as extremism. Russians will not be held accountable for using these platforms.