Facebook Bans Users From Threatening Vladimir Putin After Russia Opens Criminal Probe Into The Company

Facebook is taking action against accounts that promote the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Previously, the company relaxed its anti-hate speech policy to allow Ukrainian citizens to express their opinions on attacking forces “in the context of speech regarding the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.” However, on Monday, they clarified that any posts calling for the harm of Putin or other country leaders are prohibited.

Russia opened a criminal investigation into Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms. The inquiry arrives after Reuters reported that the social media giant was allowing users in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and other Eastern European countries to promote violence in the war, now in its third week. In addition to the probe, Russia has also blocked Facebook and Instagram after strict restrictions on government-affiliated media outlets were put in place. Twitter has also been banned in Russia as officials continue to limit the flow of information about the conflict.

Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg maintained in an internal post on Sunday that the company does not condone violence or “calls to assassinate a head of state.”

In a tweet on Friday, Clegg maintained that harassment of Russians would not be tolerated.

Responding to reports that the Russian government is considering designating Meta as an extremist organization for its policies in support of speech: pic.twitter.com/Y8sUbZDSML

— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) March 11, 2022