Russia has placed Meta spokesperson on a wanted list as the Kremlin strives to control the message at home in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
The spokesperson "is wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code," Russian state news agency Tass reported on Sunday, citing an online search of the list maintained by the Russian Ministry of Interior.
The spokesperson was put on the wanted list in February 2022, but Russian authorities had not said anything publicly about the matter until last week, according to Tass and Mediazona, an independent news outlet co-founded by two members of the Russian band Pussy Riot.
In the spokesperson's current position at Meta for nearly 10 years, the spokesperson previously worked in communication roles for Democratic organizations and lawmakers, including former California Senator Barbara Boxer, according to the spokesperson's profile on LinkedIn.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February of 2022, Meta limited the scope of Russian state-sponsored news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, with temporary changes to Meta's hate speech policy to allow for "forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders.'"
The Kremlin followed up by banning use of the sites as well as Twitter, now called X.
After Russian troops moved into Ukraine, temporary changes to Meta's hate speech policy were announced to allow for "forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders.'"
At the same time, it was stated that "credible calls for violence against Russian civilians" would remain banned.
In April 2022, Russia also formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country, the Associated Press noted.
Meta did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment.
In a surprising turn of events, Russian authorities have recently labeled Meta as a "terrorist and extremist" organization. They claim that the actions of this U.S. tech company are tantamount to endorsing violence against Russians. This move is seen as a potential precursor to pressing criminal charges against Russians who use Meta's platforms. As a result, the platforms can now only be accessed by Russians through the use of a VPN.
