The Russian government has announced that it will restrict access to Instagram, a photo-sharing app owned by Meta.
This is the latest increase in sanctions on foreign tech platforms since the Russian government invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s ban on Instagram was prompted by a change in its policy on hate speech by Meta.
A statement from the Russian government regarding the ban on Instagram said that access to the Meta-owned photo-sharing app would be restricted by state Internet regulator Roscommonadzor.
The statement said that the material published on the platform was aimed at inciting violence against Russian citizens, including soldiers.
According to the statement, under the terms of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, access to Russia’s Instagram is being restricted. According to reports, access to Instagram is still available in Russia, but it will be gradually blocked by all mobile operators and Internet providers.
Facebook and Twitter are already facing sanctions inside Russia, but Instagram, which is very popular there, has not yet been targeted. There are an estimated 6 million Instagram users in Russia.
Earlier, on February 25, access to Facebook was partially banned inside Russia, and the move came after social media networks blocked access to Russian state news outlets.
Twitter also confirmed that its users in Russia are having difficulty accessing the service, after which the company introduced the TorOnion service so that each could bypass state surveillance and gain access to the network.
Russia’s latest crackdown on Instagram comes after Meta changed its policy. The company has temporarily relaxed its rules for political discourse after the relaxation of the rules has allowed posts such as “Death of Russian invaders” while not making violent demands against Russian citizens.
Meta says the temporary change is intended to allow aspects of political expression that are generally considered to violate its laws. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
The Russian government has reacted sharply to Facebook’s policy change, along with sanctions, and has launched an investigation into criminal cases against its owner, Meta.
The Russian government has filed a lawsuit in its court seeking to declare the company, which owns the world’s largest social networking site, an “extremist organization.”