Meta bans RT days after U.S. accused Russian outlet of disinformation

Social media giant Meta announced Monday that it is banning Russian media outlet RT, days after the Biden administration accused RT of acting as an arm of Moscow’s spy agencies.

“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The Biden administration on Friday announced new sanctions and a State Department official called the media outlet “a fully fledged member of the intelligence apparatus and operation of the Russian government” for the war in Ukraine.

U.S. officials then accused RT of carrying out covert information warfare operations around the world on behalf of Russia's spy agencies.

James Rubin, coordinator for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, said RT is "where propaganda, disinformation and lies are spread to millions, if not billions, of people around the world.”

Some of RT's operations are kept hidden, U.S. officials said.

U.S. officials allege that in Africa, RT is behind an online platform called “African Stream” but hides its role; that in Germany, it secretly runs a Berlin-based English-language site known as “Red"; and that in France, it hired a journalist in Paris to carry out “influence projects” aimed at a French-speaking audience.

The Biden administration is imposing sanctions on a state-funded broadcaster that oversees RT, TV-Novosti; another state media company, Rossiya Segodnya; and its director, Dmitry Kiselyov, officials said.

The U.S. has previously accused Russia of trying to interfere in U.S. elections by sowing discord and division, and in 2018, the U.S. Justice Department announced indictments against 12 Russian nationals alleging cybercrimes intended to interfere with the 2016 election — including hacking Democratic National Committee computers and stealing emails.

Russia has denied running information operations to interfere in America’s elections or in other country’s politics.

Meta started limiting Russian state-controlled media two years ago. Enforcement of the ban announced Monday is expected to roll out in the next several days.

Meta’s apps include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.