Russian Federal Information Technologies and Mass Media Supervision Agency (Roskomnadzor) banned Facebook and Twitter. Meta, which is also the umbrella company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, decided to change the hate speech policy in countries this week and allow calls for violence against Russian soldiers.
While Meta was exposed to “extremist” criticism for this decision, the Russian Government’s reaction was not delayed. According to the statement made by the Federal Information Technologies and Mass Media Supervision Agency, at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, it has been decided to block access to the Instagram application in the country.
It was emphasized that Instagram allows calls for violence against Russians
In his post on the official website of Roskomnadzor, Meta Communications Director Andy Stone reminded that they will allow calls for violence against Russians. The Federal Information Technologies and Mass Media Supervision Agency announced the decision to block access with the following words:
Instagram distributes material that calls for violence against citizens of the Russian Federation, including military personnel. At the request of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, access to Instagram (owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.) is restricted in the Russian Federation
With the new decision of Russia, two social media platforms affiliated with Meta: Instagram and Access to Facebook is restricted. WhatsApp, which has more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide, is still accessible in the country. However, if the crisis between Meta and the Russian Government continues, it is speculated that WhatsApp may also be banned.
Russians, on the other hand, cannot access not only Instagram and Facebook, but also Netflix and Prime Video. Because Netflix recently announced that it has stopped operating in Russia with the words “Due to the current circumstances, we have suspended our service”. Amazon made the same decision for Prime Video.
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