Russia fulfills its promise by completely banning Instagram

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Russia announced its plans to ban Instagram last week, and the country has made good on that promise. As of today, Instagram has been banned in the country of Russia. Now, the majority of its population cannot access the platform.

We can see that Instagram is no longer available on Global Check, an internet monitoring service. Instagram now joins Twitter and Facebook as the social platforms that Russia has banned so far, as its invasion of Ukraine continues.

Late last week, Instagram head Adam Mosseri took to Twitter to discuss the imminent Instagram ban. He says this decision will cut “80 million [people] in Russia off from one another, and from the rest of the world.”

On Monday, Instagram will be blocked in Russia. This decision 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.

— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) March 11, 2022

Social media platforms have been an avenue for Russian citizens to speak out against the war. In fact, Facebook and Instagram enacted a surprising temporary change in their policies.

READ MORE: Apple, other major tech companies react to Russia invasion

The platforms now allow some users to post content calling for harm to Russian soldiers and politicians. This type of content was previously considered forbidden. But the social platforms have become more lenient during this conflict.

That likely plays a part in the decision by the Russian government to ban Instagram and other social platforms. Although, the more likely cause is that the Russian government doesn’t want its citizens to speak out against the decisions of their leader.

READ MORE: Yandex, Russia’s Google, is secretly sending your data to Russia

As for Instagram, it looks like its time as a medium for Russian citizens and influencers to speak out against the invasion is over. The platform has been officially banned, and it’s unclear when Russian citizens will be able to access Instagram again.

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