Facebook and Instagram advertisers may be prosecuted if Russia recognises Meta as extremist organisation

If Meta is named an extremist organisation, advertisers on Facebook and Instagram could be prosecuted for financing extremism, stated  Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the State Duma Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications Committee. This would exclude current users of these social networks who paid for their ads, and applies only to Meta employees, top managers and founders, Gorelkin stated via his Telegram channel. Meta’s minority or even large shareholders cannot be prosecuted as they do not influence Meta policies or decisions directly, clarified Alexander Khinshtein, Russian State Duma Information Policy Committee head. He also confirmed that this decision is supported by both the prosecutor general’s office and Roskomnadzor.