Russia vowed to block Instagram Sunday at midnight, in response to Meta allowing Ukrainians to post resistance messages.
Meta made the unusual decision to allow Ukrainians to post messages that would normally be considered hate speech, including things like “Death to the Russian invaders.” Given the extreme circumstances in play, Meta made the exception, while making it very clear it only applied to Ukraine, according to CNN Business. The company voiced its believe that it would be wrong to stop Ukrainians from “expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces.”
Russia has not accepted Meta’s decision gracefully, warning users to download a copy of any photos or videos they want to save before it blocks the service.
The news is just the latest escalation between Russian and Western tech companies.
