Instagram users in N Korea warned, site put on blacklist

Warnings appearing on Instagram accounts in North Korea claim that access to the popular photo-sharing app is being denied and the site is blacklisted for harmful content. Opening the app on mobile devices on the North Korean carrier Koryolink, has resulted in a notification in English saying: "Warning! You can't connect to this web site because it's a blacklisted site."

A similar notice in Korean says that the site contains harmful content, although that is not mentioned in the English version. Such warnings have also appeared when web sites that are linked to Instagram are accessed through desktops or laptops using LAN cables on the North Korean internet provider. The warnings have been appearing on and off for at least five days.

Tech support staff at Koryolink state that they were not aware of any changes in their policy regarding Instagram and that there has been no notice from the government or the mobile phone service to its customers with regard to Instagram being blacklisted.

Officials from Instagram had no comments when contacted by The Associated Press. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is functioning normally in Pyongyang.

It was yet possible to use the app, despite the warnings, on some of the mobile devices, while attempts on others to post photos or view user galleries through the standard Koryolink connection have been virtually impossible, suggesting that some access was indeed being obstructed. It was unclear where the blockage was originating from, how widespread it was, whether it was a hack of some sort or if it had any connection to a fire on June 11 at a luxury hotel that was often used by tourists and foreign visitors in Pyongyang. Photos of the fire leaked out of the country and were carried widely by media around the world. However the fire has not yet been reported by the North's state-run media.

While the Internet and any kind of social media remain off-limits to virtually all North Koreans, the country decided in 2013 to allow foreigners to use 3G on their mobile phones, which generally require a local SIM card to get onto the Koryolink mobile carrier network. This opened the door for them to surf the net and post on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. More recently, even live-streaming videos have been posted using the new Twitter app Periscope.

Besides Facebook and Twitter, all other social media sites were also functioning normally.