Russia has placed the communications director of Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, on a wanted list for unspecified criminal charges. The company was added to Russia’s list of “terrorist and extremist” organizations last year, potentially exposing Russian users of the platforms to criminal charges. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has also been formally banned from entering the country.
The conflict between Russia and Meta started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leading to temporary changes in Meta’s hate speech policy to allow for certain forms of political expression. This was followed by Russia banning Facebook and Instagram for “carrying out extremist activities” and accusations of tolerating “Russophobia.” President Vladimir Putin has approved changes to a law that will restrict media coverage of next year’s presidential election, and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media plans to block certain virtual private networks (VPNs) that Russians use to bypass internet restrictions.