Mar 14, 2022 - Technology

Russia bans Instagram

Noah Garfinkel

Photo Illustration: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Instagram is no longer available in Russia, according to internet monitoring service GlobalCheck, after the country last week said it planned to ban the social network.

The big picture: Russia's media monitoring agency Roskomnadzor announced last week that it planned to ban Instagram after Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent company, loosened hate speech restrictions to allow for users to call for an end to the violence in Ukraine and for the deaths of Russian leaders.

Background: Roskomnadzor banned Facebook in Russia in early March, saying the platform violated "fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens."

Twitter has also been banned in Russia, according to reports.

Why it matters: The move is a part of a bigger effort by Russia to clamp down on tech platforms that allow people to express their opinions about the war, or share accurate information about it.

What they're saying: Instagram head Adam Mosseri tweeted that banning Instagram will "cut 80 million in Russia off from one another, and from the rest of the world as ~80% of people in Russia follow an Instagram account outside their country. This is wrong."

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Russia bans Instagram

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