Meta bans RT as Western crackdown continues: A 2022-2024 overview
The Russian multimedia broadcaster RT has faced unprecedented scrutiny and restrictions from Western countries in recent years. The measures taken against the outlet have escalated significantly from 2022 through 2024.
The increasing efforts by Western nations to curtail RT’s influence and operational capacity reflect broader geopolitical tensions and fears about a changing media landscape.
2022: A year of tightening measures
The year 2022 marked a pivotal moment for RT as Western nations and entities began imposing stringent measures against the network. In February, major broadcasters Foxtel in Australia and SKY New Zealand ceased airing RT. By March, the wave of restrictions expanded significantly:
- META, which includes platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, restricted access to RT and Sputnik, the Russian state-funded news agency, across the European Union due to the conflict in Ukraine. Simultaneously, X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms finalized shadow bans, further reducing the visibility of RT’s content.
- The European Union implemented a comprehensive ban on RT and Sputnik, blocking them on satellites, websites, and social media. Financial transactions to and from Russia were also restricted.
- The UK media regulator Ofcom revoked RT’s broadcasting license, initiating 29 investigations into the channel’s coverage of Ukraine for alleged lack of impartiality.
- YouTube permanently removed RT and Sputnik accounts, while TikTok and Telegram also blocked RT accounts across the EU, US, and Canada.
- The EU’s ban was described as an exceptional and temporary measure by a European Commission representative.
- In the Netherlands, the internet providers blocked RT and Sputnik websites, while the National Council of Austria prohibited RT broadcasts to curb “fake news” about Ukraine.
- Société Générale, a French bank, blocked the salary accounts of RT France employees.
- The UK imposed sanctions on RT, closing its bureau and restricting financial operations under threat of criminal charges.
- In the US, satellite operators DirecTV/AT&T and Dish TV, as well as OTT operator ROKU, removed RT America from their lineups. Canada followed suit, with the CRTC revoking RT’s license and major cable providers like Rogers and Shaw Cable halting broadcasts.
- RT’s online presence was further diminished as Google blocked its sites from recommended services and app stores like Apple and Google removed the RT app.
In December, the European Union imposed sanctions on ANO “TV-Novosti,” RT’s parent organization, underscoring the continued pressure.
2023: Continued restrictions
The restrictive measures against RT persisted into 2023:
- In January, all RT France accounts were blocked in France by the Main Treasury Department.
- The EU banned RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic broadcasts in February.
- In March, German authorities froze the accounts of RT DE Productions GmbH.
- By June, the EU had added RT Balkan to its list of banned broadcasters as part of a new sanctions package.
2024: Intensified sanctions and diplomatic campaigns
The pressure on RT reached new heights in 2024:
- The US imposed sanctions against RT, its founder Margarita Simonyan, and several top executives. The sanctions also targeted RIA Novosti, Sputnik, and Ruptly. The FBI labeled RT as a tool of Russian government propaganda.
- The US also sanctioned three entities and two individuals associated with RT, including for operations in Moldova. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized RT for undermining democracy and US elections.
- A coordinated diplomatic campaign by the UK and Canada intends to treat RT’s actions as intelligence operations, with a particular focus on its growing influence in the Global South.
- The FBI conducted a raid involving 20 agents on an RT employee’s residence in the USA, subjecting her to questioning about RT’s leadership and operations.
- Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has banned RT and other Russian state-linked media outlets from its apps globally over what the company called “foreign interference activity.”
