White House Press Secretary on Friday said the White House is “deeply concerned” about threat to freedom of speech in Russia after the country’s media regulator blocked access to Facebook.
Russia blocked access to Facebook on Friday after imposing partial restrictions on the social media giant last week for refusing Russia’s request to stop fact-checking state media.
CNBC reported:
Russia’s media regulator said Friday it will block access to Meta-owned Facebook in the country as it escalates pressure on media outlets and tech platforms amid its invasion of Ukraine.
The regulator said Facebook violated federal law by restricting access to accounts of several state-affiliated media outlets, according to a translated version of a statement. The move marks an escalation from earlier limits Russia placed on Facebook.
Last week, the agency placed partial restrictions on Facebook for the alleged violation.
At the time, Meta’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said Russian authorities had ordered the platform to stop fact-checking and labeling content posted on Facebook by state-owned outlets like RT and Sputnik. Meta refused the request, he said.
“This is a part of [Russia’s] effort to cut off a range of information from their public,” Psaki said wringing her hands of over Russia’s efforts to “crack down on any form of information being shared with their public.”
VIDEO:
Here is Psaki last month asking tech companies, including Facebook and Spotify, to restrict Americans from having access to what she called “misinformation.”
WATCH:
Where are the concerns for freedom of speech after countless American conservatives, including President Trump, were banned from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms?