Russia says Facebook outage shows why it needs internet sovereignty

FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian social networks reported a spike in activity during Monday's global Facebook outage which Moscow officials said showed that Russia was right to develop its own sovereign internet platforms and social networks.

Russia has sought for years to assert greater sovereignty over its internet segment, putting pressure on foreign tech firms to delete content and store data in Russia. It has also improved its ability to block platforms that break its rules.