Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies regulatory authority, BTK, has made a decision to block Instagram access for users, sparking significant public outcry.
The reason behind this action stemmed from allegations of censorship on the Meta-owned platform. It was reported that Instagram had removed posts offering condolences for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, following his assassination in Tehran. Although no formal explanation was given by the Turkish government, the ban was announced on the BTK’s official website.
The ban on Instagram was enforced not long after Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for the Turkish presidency, accused the platform of hindering users from sharing messages of sympathy for Haniyeh, denouncing it as a form of clear censorship. Haniyeh, a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in an incident connected with Israel, escalating tensions.
Following the ban affecting over 50 million users in Turkey, many individuals have shifted to alternative platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their discontent and even make light of the situation. A wave of memes and satirical posts surfaced, with users humorously expressing their disappointment over the absence of their favorite photo-sharing app.
This incident is part of a broader pattern, as Turkey has a history of restricting access to various social media platforms such as YouTube and Wikipedia, often citing reasons related to national security or combating the spread of misinformation. Critics argue that such measures stifle freedom of expression and are used to control public discourse.
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