Turkiye's Instagram ban justification revealed!

An official statement has been released regarding the access restriction on Instagram. The Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) imposed the ban on the social media platform Instagram today.

The restriction came shortly after remarks made by Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, who had recently criticized Instagram.

Reasons for the Ban

In its initial statement, the BTK cited "non-compliance with catalog crimes" as the reason for the decision. Following the BTK statement, an official explanation for the restriction was provided.

Deputy Minister Sayan's Statement

In a post on his X account, Deputy Minister Ömer Fatih Sayan elaborated:

"When it comes to Western countries, we see that social media platforms quickly take measures on many issues, including catalog crimes. From the beginning, we have demanded the same sensitivity and fair stance. We want these platforms to apply the safe, clean, and fair content mechanisms they follow in other countries to Turkiye as well.

The double standards applied by providers are a common problem for the entire world. Let’s recall, we asked them to establish representations in our country to prevent human rights violations against our people. They didn’t want to come. They didn’t take necessary steps against the reported crimes. We suggested building a cleaner internet together so that our people could have someone to address their issues, but they set up some virtual offices and did superficial work.

Commitment to Standards

"We have prevented these circumventions with the legal changes we made. We see that they still try to maintain the same approach. They say, 'I will publish what I want and won’t publish what I don’t want.' We did not and will not accept this. We will do whatever it takes to establish a more respectful, cleaner, and safer social media that respects our values and is free from disinformation."

The official stance emphasizes the need for compliance with local regulations and the elimination of double standards in content moderation and legal responsibilities by social media platforms operating in Turkiye.