Russia could block instagram in all the country. The decision comes in response to a Meta policy that allows posts that call for violence against Russians in the context of the Ukraine war.
According to the news agency interfacethe Attorney General’s Office asked the court recognize Meta as an extremist organization. The petition is based on the Federal Law “On Combating Extremist Activities” and calls for the banning of Meta on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The reaction of the Prosecutor’s Office and other organs of the Russian Government is due to a new policy of Mark Zuckerberg’s company. Yesterday it was reported that Meta will allow content that calls for violence against Russia, its military and Vladimir Putin.
According ReutersMeta warned its moderators that it will temporarily allow death threats against Putin or Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus.
The temporary policy only concerns the content related to the invasion of Ukraine and has certain limitations. Calls for violence against Russians are only allowed in entries that refer to the war and are limited to certain countries. The death threats to Putin and Lukashenko will only be allowed in Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
As a result of this, the Roskomnadzor published a statement where requires Meta Platforms Inc to confirm or refute the information. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office warned that could start a lawsuit for crimes related to terrorist propaganda and hate speech.
Alexander Khinshtein, head of the Information Policy Committee of the State Duma, said what Instagram should be blocked in Russia, as happened with Facebook. In an interview with the state channel Rossiya 24, Khinshtein stated that if the technology company does not respond, it will be understood as confirmation of the reports.
The lawmaker called on his colleagues and Roskomnadzor to “take tougher measures” against Meta if he confirms the reports. In recent days, the telecommunications regulatory body blocked Facebook throughout Russia. The action was due to the fact that the social network vetoed RT and Sputnik, and imposed restrictions on state-backed media.
Blocking Instagram is a matter of time. Meta has already confirmed that they temporarily allow “forms of political expression that would normally violate the rules.”