Freedom of speech is a precious commodity that we all too often take for granted.  In the wake of the alleged social media blackouts that happened in Ferguson, from the mainstream media’s failure to cover important stories relevant to our community, social media commentary has allowed we the people to document and record history as we see fit–oftentimes, from the very frontlines we are writing about, allowing us to come together and mobilize.  Social media has proven to be an invaluable tool when it comes to social media and protests, as Central Park’s Global Citizen Festival just showed this past weekend.  Imagine, for example, the surprise of United States citizens, when the brave people of Palestine came forward to share solidarity with the protestors in Ferguson, via social media.

Unfortunately for people in China, Instagram has been banned for this very reason.  The social media blackout started this past Sunday on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, when photos of police firing tear gas at pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong began surfacing with the hashtag #OccupyCentral.

Soon after, New York Times reporters based in Hong Kong began alleging that Instagram was banned in China, and the website www.blockedinchina.net also indicated that Instagram was blocked throughout China, including in Beijing and Shenzen.

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.