Instagram Blocked in Russia After Meta Allows Calls for Violence

One of the world’s largest social media networks frequented by approximately 2 billion active daily visitors, Instagram, is losing around 80 million users from Russia as the country officially bans access to the Meta-owned platform for its citizens on March 14, 2022.

The decision to block access to the popular service for Russian social media users was taken after Meta Platforms allowed its Ukrainian-based audience to post messages featuring calls for violence against Russian soldiers and the presidents of Russia and Belarus as long as those refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Meta considers such temporary easing of its hate speech policy necessary, as the changes will allow Ukrainians to vent off some of their fury and frustration at the sneak attack by the neighboring country, which took place on February 24, 2022. This bold move by Meta was found insulting by the Russian authorities, who immediately launched a criminal investigation against the platform and asked the court to label this US tech company an “extremist organization.”

Roskomnadzor, a Russian federal agency in charge of all media control and censorship in the country, says it views Meta’s decision as a violation of international law and calls on its citizens using Instagram to move their videos and photos to Russia-based alternative Internet platforms such as Vkontakte. When explaining the ban, Roskomnadzor representatives said it was a forced measure to protect the mental health of Russian citizens and shield them from possible cyberbullying and insults.

Has the decision by Roskomnadzor affected your Instagram-powered business in Russia? Do you find Meta’s decision to allow calls for violence to be fair? Speak up in the comments, and do not forget to show this post to your friends!