Meta fails to remove content glorifying the Wagner Group, contradicting its platform’s policies

ISD’s recent dispatch on content glorifying the Wagner Group circulating on Meta platforms featured on ⁠CNN, Euronews, Foreign Policy, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Meta has failed to remove posts providing recruitment information and celebrating the brutal activities of the Wagner group, despite such content appears to violate the platform’s policies. ISD assessed that the Wagner Group met Meta’s criteria to qualify as a “Tier 1 dangerous organisation” and thus should not be allowed on the platform even though Meta’s list of “dangerous organisations” is not publicly available.

CNN’s article explained ISD’s findings and sought comment from Meta about its alleged failure to enforce its policies. In its response, Meta confirmed that it had banned Wagner under its dangerous organization policy, as ISD suspected, and that the Wagner group “is not permitted to have a presence on our platforms and we regularly remove assets when we identify those with clear ties to the organization.”

The investigation also featured on Euronews, Foreign Policy, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The full Dispatch is available on our website.