The regulatory authority for Information and Communication Technologies in Turkey, BTK, has opted to hinder access to Instagram for users, causing a considerable uproar among the public.
This decision was made due to claims of censorship on the Meta-owned social platform. Reports indicated that Instagram had deleted posts offering sympathies for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political figure, subsequent to his assassination in Tehran. While the Turkish government did not provide a specific rationale, the ban was officially declared on the BTK’s website.
The prohibition on Instagram came shortly after Fahrettin Altun, the communications director of the Turkish presidency, accused the platform of obstructing users from sharing condolences for Haniyeh, condemning it as a blatant act of censorship. Haniyeh, a close associate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met his demise in an event related to Israel, heightening tensions.
Following the restriction that affected more than 50 million Turkish users, many people transitioned to alternative platforms like X (previously known as Twitter) to voice their dissatisfaction and even poke fun at the situation. A surge of memes and sarcastic posts emerged, with users amusingly expressing their dismay over the unavailability of their beloved photo-sharing application.
This occurrence is indicative of a broader trend, considering Turkey’s track record of limiting access to various social media networks such as YouTube and Wikipedia, often on grounds of national security or countering the dissemination of false information. Detractors argue that such actions suppress freedom of speech and are wielded to govern public conversations.
Image Source: Primakov / Shutterstock
