After banning Instagram and Facebook in retribution for the sanctions imposed by the social media platforms against their invasion of Ukraine, Russian developers are set to launch their version of Instagram called Rossgram.
Rossgram is set to launch on the 28th of March to sponsors, investors, and the media before opening to bloggers and other users.
According to Alexander Zobov, the initiative’s public relations director,“My partner Kirill Filimonov and our group of developers were already ready for this turn of events and decided not to miss the opportunity to create a Russian analogue of a popular social network beloved by our compatriots.”
Though It is very similar in design to Instagram, it will allegedly have additional features such as paid access for some content and crowdfunding.
Furthermore, Russia has opened a criminal investigation against Meta. Prosecutors have asked a court to designate the US tech giant as an “extremist organization.”
Meta said the temporary change in its hate speech policy only applied to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion as it would be unfair to prevent Ukrainians from expressing their fury and opinions at the attack.
However, this isn’t the first time Western brands wannabes are being recreated in Russia. After many brands, including McDonald’s, IKEA, and Starbucks, shut down operations in Russia, the government keeps approving replica brands, including a “Starducks,” an “Uncle Vanya,” “Bikmak,” and even “Makdonalds.”
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Image Source – Rossgram
