A court in Moscow has determined that Russians who pay for Instagram verification might face criminal charges for “financing extremism,” a ruling that could lead to prison terms of up to eight years.

On July 14, the Kuntsevo District Court delivered this decision after considering a prosecutor’s assertion that acquiring a blue verification badge is equivalent to financially supporting Meta, the parent company of Instagram.

Since March 2022, Meta has been classified as an extremist organization in Russia, shortly after the onset of the invasion of Ukraine.

The court upheld the prosecutors’ view that purchasing Instagram verification could “aid in the financing of an extremist entity” as outlined in Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code.

In June, the same court labeled the Russian firm RosMedia and the Kyrgyz company Aura as extremist entities for providing account verification services.

Instagram was blocked in Russia in March 2022, based on prosecutors’ claims that Meta permitted calls for violence against Russian military personnel. However, despite the ban, numerous Russians continue to access the platform via VPN services.

This ruling is part of a broader effort to tighten regulations on foreign tech companies and their offerings.

Earlier this year, Russia prohibited advertising on platforms linked to organizations deemed “undesirable” or “extremist.”

Those who violate this law could incur fines starting from 2,000 rubles ($22) for individuals, escalating to as much as 500,000 rubles ($5,500) for businesses.

Additionally, from September 1, Russians may also face retroactive fines for advertisements placed on such platforms before the legislation was enacted.