Moscow: According to an online database maintained by the country’s Interior Ministry, Russia has included the spokesperson of American technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, in the wanted list. Let us tell you that Meta is the owner of Facebook and Instagram. Russian news agency TASS first reported that Meta communications director Andy Stone was added to the list on Sunday.
Just weeks after Russian authorities classified Meta as a “terrorist and extremist” organization in October, the door opened to possible criminal proceedings against Russian citizens who use its platforms, according to news agency AP. The Interior Ministry’s database does not provide details of the case against Stone, only stating that he is wanted on criminal charges. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to MediaZona, an independent news website covering Russia’s protests and prison system, Stone was placed on a wanted list in February 2022. But officials made no related statement at the time and no news media reported on the matter until this week. In March this year, Russia’s Federal Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into Meta.
The investigation alleged that the company’s actions following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, were tantamount to inciting violence against Russians. After Russian troops moved into Ukraine, Stone announced a temporary change to Meta’s hate speech policy to allow forms of political expression that typically violate (its) rules, such as Russian Violent speeches like death to the invaders. In the same statement, Stone said credible calls for violence against Russian civilians would remain banned.
It was claimed on Sunday that a Russian court had issued an arrest warrant for Stone earlier this month on charges of promoting terrorism. The report did not disclose the source of the information, which could not be independently verified. It is known that Russia had also formally stopped Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country.