Instagram has joined the growing list of banned sites in China following an in flux of pro-democracy protest photos that were uploaded to the popular service. China is known for its strict online censorship, with a plethora of Google sites and YouTube blocked across mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). The protests, dubbed “Occupy Central,” “Umbrella Movement,” and “Umbrella Revolution,” have stemmed from Chinese citizens’ disagreement with the government not allowing them to vote for their new leader. With growing resentment of China’s communist government, will the country every move towards enacting democracy?

Outside of the politics of the ban, withholding access to one of the most popular online social networks surely won’t be met with happiness. Then again, with the pre-existing ban on other popular sites, it surely was only a matter of time before the government blocked Instagram. Nevertheless, change can’t be silenced. Follow along with the #OccupyCentral (and other, similar hashtags) on Twitter and Instagram to help spread awareness of what our friends and family are facing in China. You can also see a small sampling of some Instagram photos from the protests below.

[via PetaPixel]