The spokesperson for Meta, the U.S. technology company that owns popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has been added to a wanted list by Russian authorities, as reported by the country's interior ministry online database.
Meta communications director, Andy Stone, now finds himself in the crosshairs weeks after Russian authorities designated Meta as a "terrorist and extremist" organization in October, paving the way for potential legal actions against Russian users of its platforms.
The interior ministry's database provides limited information on the charges against Stone, stating only that he is wanted for criminal charges. Meta has yet to respond to requests for comments on the matter.
According to Mediazona, an independent news outlet covering Russia's opposition and prison system, Stone was quietly added to the wanted list in February 2022. However, authorities made no public statements at the time, and the matter remained underreported until this week. In March of the same year, Russia's federal Investigative Committee initiated a criminal investigation into Meta, accusing the company of inciting violence against Russians in the aftermath of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Stone, in response to the invasion, announced temporary changes to Meta's hate speech policy, allowing for "forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules," including violent speech such as "death to the Russian invaders." However, he clarified that "credible calls for violence against Russian civilians" would remain prohibited.
Mediazona reported on Sunday that an unspecified Russian court issued an arrest warrant for Stone earlier this month on charges of "facilitating terrorism." The source of this information was not specified and could not be independently verified.
The crackdown on Meta comes in the wake of the blocking of Western social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter), in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These platforms, once popular among young Russians, are now only accessible through VPNs. In a further move, Russia formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country in April 2022.
The spokesperson for Meta, the U.S. technology company that owns popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has been added to a wanted list by Russian authorities, as reported by the country's interior ministry online database. Meta communications director, Andy Stone, now finds himself in the The spokesperson for Meta, the U.S. technology company that owns popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has been added to a wanted list by Russian authorities, as reported by the country's interior ministry online database. Meta communications director, Andy Stone, now finds himself in the crosshairs weeks after Russian authorities designated Meta as a "terrorist and extremist" organization in October, paving the way for potential legal actions against Russian users of its platforms.
The interior ministry's database provides limited information on the charges against Stone, stating only that he is wanted for criminal charges. Meta has yet to respond to requests for comments on the matter.
According to Mediazona, an independent news outlet covering Russia's opposition and prison system, Stone was quietly added to the wanted list in February 2022. However, authorities made no public statements at the time, and the matter remained underreported until this week. In March of the same year, Russia's federal Investigative Committee initiated a criminal investigation into Meta, accusing the company of inciting violence against Russians in the aftermath of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Stone, in response to the invasion, announced temporary changes to Meta's hate speech policy, allowing for "forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules," including violent speech such as "death to the Russian invaders." However, he clarified that "credible calls for violence against Russian civilians" would remain prohibited.
Mediazona reported on Sunday that an unspecified Russian court issued an arrest warrant for Stone earlier this month on charges of "facilitating terrorism." The source of this information was not specified and could not be independently verified.
The crackdown on Meta comes in the wake of the blocking of Western social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter), in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These platforms, once popular among young Russians, are now only accessible through VPNs. In a further move, Russia formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country in April 2022.
