Instagram is joining Facebook in its attempt to bury Russian state media in its app. The app will now downgrade national media outlets’ posts in their Feeds and Stories, and will also add prominent tags to prevent other users from sharing their posts.
The labels warned: “Instagram believes the account that created this post may be under editorial control in part or in full by the Russian government. Users who shared links to Russian state media outlets through the app’s link sticker also had their posts ranked in their followers’ Stories. Will drop. Instagram also removed Russian state media accounts from recommendations for Reels and Explore and made those accounts harder to find in search.
The Instagram update follows a similar move by Facebook last week. In addition to restricting the spread of Russian state media content, the social network also blocked ads from Russian advertisers and took down a network of fake accounts that fueled pro-Russian propaganda. In response to Facebook’s crackdown on state media, the Russian government blocked access to the social network. Importantly, this blockade has not affected Instagram, at least for now.
