After the Ukraine invasion, Russia has restricted social media access inside the country. Twitter has confirmed that Russia has limited Twitter in some parts of the country.
After a clash over “censorship”, Russia has restricted the usage of Facebook. Because Facebook had refused to stop fact-checking and labeling content especially that comes from state-owned news publishers. Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that Facebook is violating “the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.” In a recent statement, Twitter claimed, “We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our services safe and accessible”.
Internet connectivity observer organization NetBlocks also mentioned that there are some sorts of restrictions on Twitter in Russia. NetBlocks said, “(Facebook and Instagram) observably restricted per our metrics, certainly not to the extent Twitter is at present”. NetBlocks Director Alp Toker said, “Russia’s restriction of Twitter will significantly limit the free flow of information at a time of crisis when the public most needs to stay informed.”
Many videos and images related to Russia’s attack on Ukraine have already become viral on social media. These contents regarding the invasion influence the community opinion worldwide.
Russia has its own social media platforms like VK and Odnoklassniki, but Facebook is also popular in the country as like other Meta-owned platforms Instagram. Vice-president of global affairs at Meta Sir Nick Clegg said, “Ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organize for action. The company wants “them to continue to make their voices heard”.