Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Digital Media Commission: TikTok is a national security issue for Turkey.

Chairman of the Digital Media Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and AK Party Deputy of Hatay, Hüseyin Yayman, made statements about the commission's work. Reminding that the commission was established 3 years ago, Yayman stated that it is the commission that holds the most meetings after the Planning and Budget Commission and the Justice Commission in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Yayman also made a striking statement about TikTok, where scandalous posts are made.

"TIKTOK IS ADVOCATING FOR THE DEVIL"

Yayman stated that he received complaints about TikTok from citizens he encountered in Hatay, Ankara, Adana, Mersin, and Istanbul, saying, "I don't use TikTok. People who see me on the street say, 'If you shut down TikTok, you will open the door to heaven.' There are a significant number of criticisms and complaints about TikTok. Unfortunately, TikTok is advocating for the devil and TikTok posts have become an object of hatred in society. I do not see it as a freedom area for people who have reached a certain age and position to make posts there and engage in irrational and absurd behaviors to create awareness. This place has completely deviated from human values, not indigenous and national values, but a complete alienation and detachment from universal values. It is not possible to accept these. I want to address TikTok's representatives in Turkey and global network providers once again; I do not accept what TikTok is doing at all. I do not approve of these posts and I expect TikTok to have a publishing policy that is in line with Turkey's moral values, ethical values, traditions, and customs, starting with its community rules, just like the whole society and our people."

"I DO NOT APPROVE OF POSTS ABOUT MUSTAFA KEMAL"

Yayman stated that as the AK Party government, they are strictly against bans and censorship, but social media platforms should also act in accordance with their responsibilities. Yayman also reacted to the content about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that started to be shared on TikTok in recent days, saying, "We do not approve of the posts about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on TikTok, we do not endorse them. We do not approve of emptying Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's value and trolling and trivializing the figure of Mustafa Kemal. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is a common value of the Turkish nation and the fact that trolling has reached this point is actually one of the most important indicators of the crisis that the digital world has entered."

"TIKTOK IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE"

Yayman emphasized that TikTok should have a publishing policy that is in line with Turkey's general moral rules, saying, "The TikTok issue is a national security issue for Turkey. If asked to our people, if a public opinion poll is conducted, 90% of the people would want TikTok to be shut down. Because TikTok has already exceeded itself and the posts made to get interaction are so absurd, so strange, so detached from reality that it is not possible to approve of them. We do not have a stance as a commission regarding the closure of TikTok, the imposition of access barriers, this is the stance of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). But if you ask me as the chairman of the commission, politics is done together with the people. Our people want TikTok to be shut down and TikTok must definitely tremble and come to its senses."

"DIGITAL COPYRIGHT WILL BE DISCUSSED WHEN THE PARLIAMENT OPENS"

Yayman emphasized that his commission will work on the Digital Copyright Law in the new legislative term, saying, "In the summer, we will hold a meeting that brings together the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Presidency of Communications, and civil society organizations working on this issue, among other stakeholders. Towards the end of August, we will have done our homework on digital copyright and we will put our file on the agenda when the Parliament opens."