The recent arrest of Andy Stone, the spokesperson for Meta Platforms, by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has sent shockwaves through the tech community. Stone is facing multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, including promoting terrorist activities and inciting extremism. He is also now wanted both internationally and domestically.
These charges stem from Stone’s alleged statement that Meta had temporarily lifted the ban on advocating violence against the Russian military on its platforms, categorizing it as a form of political expression. The Russian Investigative Committee launched an investigation into the illegal actions of Meta employees, specifically naming Stone.
Tensions between Meta and the Russian Federation have been escalating since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March of that year, a Russian court found Meta guilty of extremist activities and subsequently banned the platform in the country. As a result, popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram were also prohibited.
In October of the same year, Meta was added to the Service for Financial Monitoring’s list of terrorist and extremist organizations. These developments have strained relations between the tech giant and the Russian authorities.
Neither Stone nor Meta has issued any comments regarding the charges or the arrest. This case is likely to have broader implications for freedom of expression and the role of social media platforms in political discourse. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how this arrest will impact Meta’s operations in Russia and its standing in the international tech community.
The source of the article is from the blog elblog.pl