A Russian court has banned Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for "extremist" activities, making its work in Russia illegal. The decision excludes WhatsApp, which Meta also owns.

The ruling immediately bans Facebook and Instagram from Russia, where both platforms are already blocked. Russian authorities are also seeking to designate Meta an "extremist organization," which could go into effect after a potential appeal by Meta. The company did not immediately comment.

... In the hearing, government prosecutors appeared to specify that regular people using Facebook or Instagram would not face prosecution... More than 15,000 Russian protesters have been arrested in the past three weeks as new laws have criminalized public statements about Ukraine that do not align with the Kremlin's official view of what it calls the "special military operation."