A Moscow court declared Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) an “extremist organization” on Monday, but the ruling did not extend to the company’s WhatsApp chat service, instead of focusing its wrath on the company’s already-banned Facebook and Instagram social media platforms.
The Tverskoi District Court in Moscow has upheld a case filed by Russian state prosecutors to prohibit Meta from operating on Russian soil, according to the court’s press service.
A request for comment from Meta was not immediately returned.
A request for comment from Meta was not immediately returned.
According to the Interfax news agency, Meta’s lawyer, Victoria Shagina, stated in court earlier on Monday that the company was not engaged in extremist activities and was opposed to Russophobia.
According to TASS, judge Olga Solopova stated that the ruling would be implemented immediately.
The implications of labeling Meta an “extremist organization,” a label that was once reserved for groups like the Taliban and Islamic State but was later applied to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, are still unknown.
According to the Interfax news agency, Meta’s lawyer, Victoria Shagina, stated in court earlier on Monday that the company was not engaged in extremist activities and was opposed to Russophobia.
According to TASS, judge Olga Solopova stated that the ruling would be implemented immediately.
The implications of labeling Meta a “extremist organization,” a label that was once reserved for groups like the Taliban and Islamic State but was later applied to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, are still unknown.
