Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook, has been blocked in China, according to numerous reports, including from Hong Kong-based reporters with the New York Times.
The company did not immediately return requests for confirmation.
The reports came amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, where many have posted photos and videos, including of Hong Kong police firing tear gas at demonstrators.
Many of the photos were labeled with the hashtag “Occupy Central,” a phrase that was blocked on Sunday on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. It had been allowed earlier in the day.
The website www.blockedinchina.net also indicated that Instagram was blocked across China, including in Beijing and Shenzhen.
If the site was blocked in China, that would not prevent users in Hong Kong from posting on social media, nor users in other countries viewing the images.
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica)
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via