The American Metaverse company (Meta) was exposed on the 10th to amend the relevant policies of its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, allowing users in some countries to post in a “certain context” calling for violence against Russians.
According to media reports on the 14th such as Russia’s TASS and Izvestia, the social media platform Instagram has been banned in Russia.
TASS reported that the Federal Service for the Supervision of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Mass Media of Russia had previously issued a message to ban Instagram. The bureau said the decision was made because the Instagram platform would spread “calls for violence against Russians, including the Russian military.”
The report also stated that the Federal Service for the Supervision of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Mass Media of the Russian Federation also sent a notification message to the public to block Instagram through the “State Service of the Russian Federation” platform.
The bureau mentioned in the notification message that Russia also has competitive online platforms, including social media VK. “I hope you will switch to these online platforms as soon as possible, and you will create new opportunities for yourself in terms of communication and business in the future,” the source said.
According to a report by Reuters on the 10th, the “Metaverse” company sent an email to speech moderators, saying that the hate speech policy has changed, and Facebook and Instagram users in some countries can post calls for violence against Russian soldiers.
The email stated that the hate speech policy still prohibits users from attacking Russian civilians, but if the post is in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and support for Ukraine, violent remarks against Russian civilians can be made.
The move by the “Metaverse” company caused strong dissatisfaction from the Russian side. The Russian Federal Investigative Committee said that a criminal case has been filed against the “Metaverse” company. The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office also issued a message on the 11th, asking the court to identify the US “Metaverse” company as an “extremist organization” and prohibit it from conducting business activities in Russia.
In response, Nick Clegg, vice president of “Metaverse”, responded later on the 11th. On the one hand, he said that the “Metaverse” company “will not tolerate anti-Russian, any discrimination and intimidation of Russians or calls for violence against Russians on our (social media) platform.” On the other hand, it also stated that the new policies of Facebook and Instagram will only apply in Ukraine, providing local users with the opportunity to “express anger against the Russian military”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said on the 13th when commenting on the actions of the “Metaverse” company, that American digital platforms should bear direct responsibility for “inciting Ukrainian nationalism”.
According to the TASS news agency, the Russian Federal Agency for Telecommunications, Information Technology and Mass Media Supervision announced on the 11th local time that it has decided to complete the process of restricting access to Instagram in the near future.