Image Credit: Manish Rajput/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images 
Instagram has moved to label accounts and posts of “state-controlled media,” following the lead of its parent company Facebook, technology website Engadget reported.
According to the outlet, journalist Casey Michel was the first to notice that users in the United States see such labels appearing on their profile pages and posts.
Instagram has begun rolling out new “state-controlled media” labels—here are the ones for Kremlin outlets aimed at younger Americans: pic.twitter.com/vyUySA1zbW
— Casey Michel
(@cjcmichel) October 5, 2020
Redfish, In the Now and Soapbox have already been reportedly designated as “Russia state-controlled media.”
The outlets have started reacting to the label within their bios by saying: “We disagree” and “That’s not nice!”
On a support page, Instagram explains that it holds these accounts to “a higher standard of transparency because we believe they combine the influence of a media organization with the backing of a state.”
Later in the day, Russia’s RT broadcaster said its Instagram account had received such designation not only in its profile header but in all of its posts as well.
The account of the channel’s editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, has also been marked this way. The account of the RIA Novosti news agency is now the same way.
Facebook began to apply the relevant policy in June.
Owen Shroyer explains how beauty if a factor in winning the hearts and minds of people in the fight for the future.