Facebook Banned in Russia, Instagram Preparing

Facebook is now banned in Russia, officially. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Facebook removed four pages by state-controlled media, in response to which Roskomnadzor, the Russian censorship agency, first warned Facebook and then blocked access to the world’s most popular social media.

 As for Instagram and WhatsApp, access to them remains allowed in Russia so far (maybe because they are used by some officials). Nevertheless, it’s Instagram that imposed partial limitations. Now, it’s impossible to see follower lists of private Instagram users from Ukraine and Russia. This step was taken to protect their privacy, as Instagram became another battlefield in this war.

 Surprisingly, there are few social media that are completely banned in Russia. Prime to Facebook, Roskomnadzor banned LinkedIn for violating data storage laws – that is, for refusal to store their data in Russian data centers, which meant exposing them to Russian authorities. It’s telling that both Facebook and LinkedIn are far from being the most popular social media in Russia: the market is dominated by Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and local social networks OK and VK. So, this move was not meant to force Facebook out of the Russian info field, but to show others what happens to those not bowing to the king. Access to another channel between Russia and the world, Twitter, is now “partially restricted”, which results in reduced download speed.

 Many Russian users are still seen on Facebook, using VPN to access it. Their number, though, is reducing. Along with access restrictions, Russia imposes fines or even imprisonment for those posting or sharing information contradicting the official point of view.

In Soviet Russia, post reports you! It’s not our case, though. Let’s freely share what we think about it in our comments!