Social media giant Meta has announced that it is banning Russian media outlet RT due to accusations from the Biden administration of acting as an arm of Moscow’s spy agencies. The ban includes other Russian state media outlets as well, for their involvement in foreign interference activities. The Biden administration has imposed new sanctions on these media outlets, with officials calling RT a fully fledged member of the intelligence apparatus of the Russian government.
James Rubin from the State Department’s Global Engagement Center has accused RT of spreading propaganda, disinformation, and lies to millions of people around the world. U.S. officials claim that RT is involved in covert information warfare operations in various countries, such as Africa, Germany, and France.
The Biden administration is imposing sanctions on a state-funded broadcaster overseeing RT and other state media companies. This move is in response to previous accusations of Russia trying to interfere in U.S. elections by sowing discord and division. Meta had already started limiting Russian state-controlled media two years ago and will now enforce the ban on RT and related entities across its apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Russia has denied running information operations to interfere in elections or politics in other countries.
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