NEW YORK — On Monday (Sept 16),Meta, the owner of Facebook, announced it would be banning RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and other Russian state media networks from its platforms, citing their use of deceptive methods to conduct covert influence operations online.

"After thorough evaluation, we are broadening our enforcement against Russian state media. Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and similar entities are now prohibited from all our apps worldwide due to foreign interference activities," the company stated in a written release.

The implementation of this ban will begin in the coming days. Besides Facebook, Meta’s apps include Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

The Russian embassy has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

This ban represents a significant escalation in Meta’s actions against Russian state media, following years of more limited measures such as blocking ads and reducing the visibility of their posts.

The move follows recent U.S. money-laundering charges against two RT employees, who are accused of orchestrating a scheme to hire an American company to produce content aimed at influencing the 2024 election.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that Russian state broadcaster RT should be treated like covert intelligence operations by other nations.

RT has criticized the U.S. actions, alleging that the U.S. is trying to hinder the broadcaster’s journalistic efforts.

Meta indicated in briefing materials shared with Reuters that it has previously observed Russian state-controlled media attempting to evade detection online and anticipates they will continue engaging in deceptive practices.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters file