As retaliation for the digital giant’s allowing messages calling for violence against Russian military, Russia blocked Instagram access and filed a criminal complaint against its owner, Meta.
Following Russia’s shutdown of Facebook and limitation of Twitter in a dispute with US social media sites that has erupted since its invasion of Ukraine, this new escalation has occurred.
Russia’s media regulator said it will block access to the enormously popular Instagram by Monday because it contains “calls to conduct violent crimes,” a day after Meta acknowledged a temporary relaxing of its regulations to allow appeals to violence like “death to the Russian invaders.”
Meta’s worldwide affairs president Nick Clegg replied with what looked to be damage management, indicating that the looser limits would only apply to users posting from within Ukraine.
“We will not accept Russophobia or any other type of discrimination, harassment, or violence against Russians on our platform,” he continued, reiterating the company’s prior assertion that civilians were excluded.