Meta says tens of millions still using Instagram in Iran despite protest crackdown

SAN FRANCISCO — Meta says that tens of millions of people in Iran are using Instagram despite government efforts to block the service due to months-long protests.

Iran has been rocked by citizen outrage since the September 16 death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest for an alleged breach of dress rules for women.

“Instagram has been widely used by Iranians to shed light on the protests and the brutal response to them,” Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg says during a briefing.

“People have also shared Instagram footage of the protests with international media outlets, many of whom can’t report directly from Iran.”

Protests triggered by Amini’s death resulted in authorities clamping down on speech and freedom of assembly, and limiting the use of the internet and apps such as Instagram, Clegg notes.

“Despite attempts to block Instagram, we’re seeing tens of millions of people still finding ways to access it,” Clegg says.

Tactics to access the image-centric social network service include using virtual private network software that encrypts and conceals online activity, says Meta head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher.

People in Iran are also using a “light” version of the Instagram app released in Iran last year that is designed for places where internet bandwidth is meager, Gleicher adds.

Meta has also put policies in place to remove posts that “out” activists, journalists.