Russian Prosecutor General's request to block Instagram does not affect WhatsApp - MP Khinshtein

MOSCOW. March 11 (Interfax) - The recommendation on blocking access to Instagram (the social media app owned by Meta) that the Russian Prosecutor General's Office earlier submitted to the Russian telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor does not affect the WhatsApp online messaging service, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communication Alexander Khinshtein said on Friday.

"The recommendation of the Prosecutor General's Office submitted to Roskomnadzor to block Instagram does not apply to WhatsApp," Khinshtein wrote on Telegram.

Only a court may ban other products from Meta, he added. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has already filed a case with a court, seeking the company's designation as an extremist organization under Russian law, he said.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office earlier demanded that Roskomnadzor restrict access to Instagram. The law enforcement agency also asked a Russian court to recognize Meta Platforms Inc. (the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) as an extremist organization and ban its operations in Russia.

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