Morphed Screenshot About Instagram Being Banned in India Goes Viral

The viral screenshot is altered and the Centre has not banned Instagram application in India.

Rujuta Thete
WebQoof
Updated:
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Fact-check:&nbsp;No post was made by <em>First India News </em>about the central government banning Instagram application in India.</p></div>
i

Fact-check: No post was made by First India News about the central government banning Instagram application in India.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

advertisement

A screenshot purportedly by the news outlet, First India News, showing 'breaking news' about central government banning Instagram application in India is going viral on social media.

  • The screenshot states that this decision was made by the government after teenagers are getting influenced by 'wrong content' through Instagram.

  • Some claims also mention that the application would not be available in India after 17 June.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here. We also received this query on our WhatsApp tipline.)

Is this true?: No, the Centre has not issued any such order and the application is still available in India on all application stores including iOS and Android.

  • First India News also clarified that this is viral screenshot is altered.

How did we find this out?: We checked for news reports about this ban and found none.

  • We also checked Meta Platform's website, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, but did not find any such news.

  • As of 18 June, we also found Instagram application available to download on Google Play Store for Android and on Apple App Store for iOS. It is also running properly on mobile phones.

  • Next, we found First India News' logo on the viral image and checked their Twitter account for this viral photo.

The viral screenshot carried the logo of First India News.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

  • We could not find the same photo used in the claim on First India News' Twitter account.

  • However, we found a clarification posted by them on 16 June about this viral screenshot being fake and morphed.

  • The tweet said, "This screenshot showing First India digital's breaking news plate is edited."

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Conclusion: No post was made by First India News about the central government banning Instagram application in India.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Published: 18 Jun 2023,04:01 PM IST

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL FOR NEXT