Instagram says it’s removing posts supporting slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani to comply with U.S. sanctions laws. The Facebook-owned social media platform is one of the few Western social media companies still operating in Iran — and journalists and free speech advocates are warning it could be going too far in censoring some posts.
Facebook said it was removing any posts praising Soleimani to comply with U.S. sanctions after Coda Story’s Isobel Cockerell first reported that The International Federation of Journalists said on its website Instagram suspended the accounts of at least 15 Iranian journalists. The group says though some of the accounts have since been restored, some posts were permanently deleted.
“At a time when Iranian citizens need access to information it is unacceptable that Instagram should choose to censor Iranian media and individual journalists and users,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said in a statement.
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Source: The Technology 202: Instagram faces backlash for removing posts supporting Soleimani