Meta may be backing away, at least somewhat, from the temporary exemption that allows Facebook users in Ukraine to call for the death of Russian President Putin and write violent messages about the Russian military. Reuters claims to have seen an internal posting by Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, stating that the company is “narrowing” its control to make it clear that it will not allow death calls from any head of state. However, the social media giant does not seem to have changed its mind on the Russian soldiers. In other words, the new decision includes heads of state and therefore Putin.
Meta also confirmed the new policy to Engadget, but did not comment further on the matter. Clegg said Meta will share the change in policy with the Oversight Board, which helps shape the social media giant’s moderation practices.
The reconsideration of this decision coincides with Russia’s ban on Instagram in response to Meta’s previous stance on calls for violence. The country had already blocked Facebook, and state prosecutors are known to have called in a court to label Meta as an “extremist organization”, taking into account previous company policy.
It’s unclear whether Russia will lift any bans following Meta’s renewed approach. The state has blocked or limited multiple foreign internet services to quell political opposition, including Twitter and Zello, and CNBC said prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation into the company in response to previous Ukraine policy. Meta doesn’t have much support in the Kremlin and this view is unlikely to change anytime soon…
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