03.08.2024 11:10
The Information Technologies and Communication Authority has imposed a ban on popular social media application Instagram as of Friday morning. The decision was made due to multiple violations related to various contents within the scope of criminal offenses. It is stated that the lifting of the ban depends on the removal of the contents.
The Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) announced that as of yesterday, access to Instagram has been blocked on the website information query page. According to the information obtained from the authorities by Milliyet, the access blocking implemented by the BTK decision includes catalog crimes such as "drug trafficking", "sexual abuse against children", "incitement to suicide", "crimes against Atatürk", "robbery and qualified robbery", "genocide", "incitement to war against the state", based on complaints about Instagram posts.
THE WARNING WAS IGNORED
It was learned that there were multiple violations related to several contents within the scope of catalog crimes, and the Turkish representation of the US-based META company, which also includes Instagram, was contacted regarding the violations. The removal of the contents was requested. It was stated that access blocking measures were implemented due to the failure to remove the contents.
THE BLOCK HAS NO CONNECTION WITH HANIYE
Following the decision to block access, President's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun's condemnation of Instagram for blocking condolence messages regarding Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was brought to the agenda on social media. However, it was emphasized that the decision was not related to this and therefore no blocking decision could be made.
ACCESS WILL BE RESTORED IF THE CONTENTS ARE REMOVED
It is stated that when the block will be lifted depends on Instagram's attitude. It is stated that access to Instagram will be restored shortly if the problematic contents are removed. Otherwise, it is expected that a court decision regarding the access blocking of Instagram will be issued after the precautionary decision of the BTK, and the process regarding the access blocking will be prolonged.
MINISTER URALOĞLU: WHEN THEY FIX THE SHORTCOMINGS...
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also mentioned the issue in his statement, saying "Especially when they do not take into account both the rules we have set legally and some of our social sensitivities, we are also obliged to intervene. We are also trying to manage the feelings of our citizens correctly in this sense. Our colleagues are in contact with the current representative who is the representative of Turkey. Our sensitivities are clear. The shortcomings there are clear. When they fix those shortcomings, let's say an hour later, we will remove that block. But here, this is an independent country. It is a country with laws and rules. We want everyone to comply with these laws, these rules, clearly," he said.
CRUCIAL FOR E-COMMERCE
Emre Ekmekçi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), also spoke about the impact of the access blocking to Instagram on e-commerce. Ekmekçi said, "10% of total e-commerce is done on social media. It corresponds to 930 million TL per day. A volume of 1.9 billion TL, along with influencers generating traffic to platforms, can be affected. It won't disappear completely, but it may shift to another time or another platform," he said. Ekmekçi also stated, "Instagram is one of the important channels in Turkey. There is a significant economy revolving around that platform in Turkey."