A Moscow court banned Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram in Russia Monday, in what was the first use of the country’s sweeping law on “extremism” against a foreign technology company.
The presiding judge backed the prosecutor’s request to ban the social networks with immediate effect, ruling their activities “extremist,” according to the court’s official Telegram channel. The prosecutor had argued that Meta’s policies were directed against Russia and its army, state-run Tass reported.
A lawyer for Meta said the Russian court didn’t have the authority to rule in the case because Meta is a foreign-registered company without a domestic presence, Interfax reported from the hearing. A spokesperson for Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
