Instagram Warns Users Against Spreading ‘Russia State-controlled Media’

Instagram announced, on Tuesday, that it would implement steps to protect the users' privacy across Ukraine and Russia.

The company will begin downranking posts from Russian state-affiliated media, placing any stories from those outlets below other content from other sources.

Users who go to share stories originating with any of these accounts will see a pop-up message cautioning them against spreading “Russia state-controlled media.”

Also, users who share stories with link stickers highlighting domains associated with Russian state media shall get the same treatment.

“Instagram believes the account that created this post may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of the Russian government,” the message reads.

TechCrunch reported that content from Russian state-linked accounts will no longer appear in Instagram’s algorithmically populated discovery areas, like Reels and the discovery tab.

In like manner, Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) launched a feature so users in Ukraine can lock their social media profiles for security.

Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) posted safety tips in English, Russian and Ukrainian on how users can secure their accounts against hacking, and make sure their tweets are private.

The two platforms are often used by political activists and researchers to disseminate information during times of crisis.