Russia opens criminal investigation of Meta

Russia opened a criminal case against Meta Platforms over Meta’s temporary change in policy, which allows Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russian soldiers.Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that a criminal case has been initiated, noting that ‘The company’s spokesperson Andy Stone said on the social network that Meta has temporarily lifted a ban on calls for violence against Russian troops on its platforms, describing it as a form of political self-expression.’ The committee added that ‘The aforementioned actions contain elements of crimes under articles 280 and 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (public calls for extremist actions and abetting terrorism),’ and that actions of Andy Stone and other Meta employees are under investigation.