North Korea has reportedly blacklisted and blocked access to Instagram in the country on grounds that the photo-sharing site has "harmful content."
Dozens of social media users in North Korea trying to access Instagram are being told that the photo-sharing site has been blacklisted, The Guardian reported.
Eric Talmadge, Pyongyang Bureau Chief for The Associated Press posted on his Instagram account that he has been unable to use the photo-sharing site 'lately'.
"These warnings have been popping up on Instagram when the app is opened on mobile phones in Pyongyang," Talmadge said, posting an image of the error message he received while accessing Instagram.
Those trying to access the site through North Korean network provider Koryolink are getting a message in English: "Warning! You can't connect to this website because it's in blacklist site".
The Associated Press report noted that the access denial message in Korean states that Instagram contains "harmful content."
Facebook, which owns Instagram, is reportedly still accessible.
The authoritarian regime under its dictator Kim Jong-un does not allow its citizens to access social media or for that matter the Internet itself.
But in 2013, the Jong-un regime made a special concession to foreigners in the country to access Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The pictures and videos posted by foreigners in North Korea provide a rare glimpse into the daily lives of North Koreans. The Associated Press noted that lately, government officials expressed worry over the "unrestricted" flow of information and images out of the country.
Neither the North Korean government nor Facebook has commented on the issue.
