Russia threatens Instagram ban in response to Meta allowing violent threats against soldiers

 Russia threatens Instagram ban in response to Meta allowing violent threats against soldiers

Russian officials have called on Instagram to be banned and for parent company Meta to be designated a “extremist organization,” according to Russian news agency Interfax and state-owned news agency TASS.

As reported by Interfax, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office says it has submitted a petition “to recognize Meta Platforms Inc. as an extremist organization and ban its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation.”

Separately, TASS adds that the head of the Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, has called on Instagram to be banned if claims that Meta changed its moderation standards to allow users to call for violence against Russian military are true. State communications agency Roskomnadzor also made a statement urging Meta “as quickly as possible to validate or refute” the reports.

According to TASS, if Meta verifies this or refuses to respond, "Roscomnadzor and other colleagues will take the strongest steps" if Meta refuses to comment on the matter. "In this scenario, I believe that Instagram should be restricted in Russia like Facebook has been."

Reuters originally reported on the pending policy changes, which Meta has since corroborated. A Reuters report revealed emails sent to Facebook and Instagram moderators instructing the social media platforms to allow "T1 violent speech that would otherwise be removed under the Hate Speech policy when: (a) targeting Russian soldiers, EXCEPT prisoners of war, or (b) targeting Russians where it's clear that context is the Russian invasion of Ukraine."

According to the New York Times, the modifications affect users in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

In an interview with The Verge's Andy Stone, a spokeswoman for Meta confirmed that the company had made adjustments to its standards on the use of violent language. There are "temporary exceptions" to our laws on political expression, like "violent statements" like "death to the Russian invaders," because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Stone. "We will not allow any credible appeals for violence against Russian citizens."

Instagram, on the other hand, has remained unblocked in Russia despite Facebook's exclusion.