Last week, Iran’s prominent Tasnim news agency disclosed that its Instagram account was abruptly suspended without prior warning or explanation.
This incident echoed a similar occurrence in 2021, when Tasnim’s Instagram access was revoked two weeks before the presidential elections. The agency highlighted that its account was reinstated only after the election results had been announced, as communicated through its Telegram channel.
Several other Iranian media outlets and journalists have also reported disruptions, with followers noting that their posts no longer appear in feeds despite continued following of these accounts.
In contrast, Iranian media organizations based in Western countries and backed by Israeli funding have utilized Instagram to dissuade Iranians from participating in Friday’s elections, labeling voters as “supporters of terrorism” or “traitors.”
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has faced allegations of collaborating with Western states and Israel to influence elections in various countries.
Recently, documents reviewed by the purportedly revealed Meta’s communications with senior intelligence officials and politicians in Western nations.
For instance, Facebook allegedly engaged in tactics to sway the outcome of the 2020 elections in Guyana by promoting smear campaigns against a candidate perceived to have affiliations with China.
These developments underscore ongoing concerns about social media platforms’ influence on electoral processes and their potential to impact public opinion through selective content visibility and algorithmic decisions. The situation surrounding Iranian media’s access on Instagram reflects broader geopolitical tensions and the complexities of online censorship and manipulation in the realm of global politics.
