Russian state broadcasters, including "Russia Today" and Sputnik, which are under European Union sanctions, are still on Facebook's partner lists and can receive a share of advertising revenue. This is reported by the publication Politico with reference to a study by the non-governmental organization WHAT TO FIX, reports UNN.
Details
According to the report, it is about participation in Meta's partner program, which allows content monetization. As of June 20, pages related to RT, Sputnik, Russian singer Polina Gagarina, sanctioned by Spotify and YouTube, as well as pro-Russian activist Sylvain Afoua, were found on the lists.
WHAT TO FIX, which deals with internet platform accountability, stated that it could not establish whether Meta paid sanctioned organizations under this program, but noted that its findings "raise important questions about Meta's compliance with EU sanctions."
Meta noted that the fact of being on the list does not automatically mean payments, and the company "takes measures" against accounts associated with sanctioned entities.
Inclusion on our publisher partners list does not in itself indicate that an account has received payments, and any party on this list is still subject to our sanctions restrictions... When we identify accounts that appear to be operated by or on behalf of sanctioned parties, we take action against them.
According to WHAT TO FIX, Facebook removed RT and Sputnik from the list in 2022, but Sputnik pages in EU languages reappeared for one year starting October 2022. A new RT Arabic page also appeared in July 2023 and was on the list until early June, but was subsequently removed.
Despite a general broadcasting ban, experts warn that Russian-backed media have created a large number of accounts, pages, and online channels to continue their activities.
Recall
In September 2024, Meta stated that it was banning the activities of RT (Russia Today) and other Russian state media on its platforms.