In light of Russia’s ban on Facebook, parent brand Meta has temporarily suspended ads in the country. This means ads originating from Russia won’t run anywhere in the world, and Zuckerberg’s firm will also halt the ones targeting the Russian audience.
On Friday, Roskomnadzor, a national body governing the IT industry, banned Facebook in Russia. It backed the move with 26 instances of alleged discrimination, since October 2020, against Russian sources. Following this, Meta criticized the decision of the Putin-led government and revealed its intentions of making a return.
In its latest blog update, the social media giant announced that it is temporarily revoking ads for Russia due to the aforementioned development. As per the announcement, this move came owing to “the difficulties of operating in Russia at this time.”
Undoubtedly, Meta’s decision will adversely affect Russian residents who won’t be able to create or run ads on the platform. Together with the government’s ban, this would further cut off the Eurasian country from global social media.
The Facebook Feud Is One Of Russia’s Many Altercations With The West
Notably, Meta isn’t the only company that has seen its relationship with Russia become strained. Every other day, we hear of a different organization cutting its ties with the country. This trend shall continue as The West tries to pressurize the Kremlin while the latter’s war on Ukraine rages on.
Among all these sanctions, it is interesting to note how a handful of nations command sizeable influence in the world. Especially, in the tech industry, the fact that all Big Tech firms are located in one country isn’t particularly hopeful, if not worrisome.
At the same time, Russia blocking Facebook verifies its distrust of Western outlets. During a time where information warfare is at its peak, this leaves non-Western countries to ponder if the move is actually justified.
Do you think Russia will budge after the cascade of sanctions against it? What is your opinion on a majority of popular companies and services coming out of The West? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
