As the war in Ukraine enters its third week, Russia seeks to ban Instagram. Russia has already put a block on access to partner company Meta (Facebook). The Russian government announced on Friday, that Instagram will be banned in Russia. The action will be taken following Meta allowing users in Ukraine to write posts calling for violence against ‘’ Russian Invaders.’’
Russian state media watchdog Roskomnadzor says that the ban on social media Instagram is due to ‘’ calls for violence’’ against Russian soldiers. Furthermore, he said that it allows violent posts such as ‘’ death to Russian invaders’’ that is against Meta policies. It breaks the rules set by the company against any kind of violent activity. Meanwhile, it will not allow calls for violence against Russian civilians.
Meta’s shift in Policy
According to some internal emails seen by Reuters, Meta will temporarily allow calls for violence against Russian invaders. Meta has permitted Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russian soldiers, and political figures. Meanwhile, responding to the shift in policy, Russia called the US to stop social media companies’‘’ extremist activities’’. Furthermore, Russian Prosecutor General’s office called a criminal investigation against Meta in the light of Russian propaganda and extremism laws. Also, Russia has not blocked WhatsApp, as it is a messaging platform rather than a social media platform.
Instagram users
Instagram as a social media platform is extremely popular in Russia. Also, many small businesses use social media platforms for their businesses. Experts believe it will be crucial for businesses as well as for the bloggers who make living through Instagram.
Besides, many Russia does not know how to use VPN leading to a huge population that could cut off some of the major events. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also under Meta and is a popular messaging application. So ultimately the end-users (common citizens) will suffer by these policies.
