- Turkey plans to extend the authorities’s power to block access to social media for “national security”
- Global companies with more than a million users in Türkiye will also have to create a local business
- Messaging platforms are also included in “exaggerated service providers” which should follow the new rules
Turkey plans to extend the power of the authorities to block access to social media and messaging platforms for reasons of “national security” without the court.
According to a report on the Turkish New Ekonomim site and reported by Bianet English, the change project would also require these so-called “exaggerated service providers” to establish a local business when they have more than a million users in Turkey.
The bill follows a closure of 42 -hour social media, in the midst of demonstrations launched by the arrest of Ekrem İmaMoğlu, who forced citizens to turn to the best VPN applications. The troubles are still underway across the country at the time of writing.
Internet control of Turkey
Turkey is sadly famous for looking for control on the Internet. The VPN supplier, Surfshark, for example recorded a total of 17 cases in which the authorities have applied a form of internet restriction since 2015. Instagram, X, Youtube, Whatsapp and Telegram are the main targets.
The examples include a block on X at a time when people need it most – the consequences of the deadly earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria in February 2023. Social media and messaging applications were also dark during political disorders in 2024.
Do you know?
The Turkish authorities have also repressed the VPN services, the most popular tool to bypass the internet restrictions imposed by the government, since at least December 2023. People have however managed to escape this ban, because most VPNs, such as VPNs of Proton, continue to record points of use across the country.
Stoping the spread of hatred speech and disinformation is generally the reason for these temporary blocks to online communications of people, in accordance with current regulations when obtaining a court order.
The change draft will however make it possible to allow information and communication technologies Authority (BTK) to directly restrict access to social media and messaging applications “for reasons of national security, public order, public health or similar public interest considerations”, reported Bianet English.
As the news site underlines, BTK already has the power to advance the bandwidth up to 90% for up to 24 hours in an emergency, which has made it easier for websites and targeted applications.
The amendment could also increase the existing requirements to appoint a local representative, demanding a new obligation to create a local company for suppliers with more than 1 million users in Türkiye.
Mass censorship and information control are propagated worldwide. The new law of “cybersecurity” in Türkiye is widely considered as another censorship tool. The implementation of a proxy @Signalapp server helps to maintain living private communication even when the diets are trying to stop it. pic.twitter.com/2fl7doiea0March 30, 2025
The news of the amendment project arrives at a delicate moment in political disorders. Protests concerning the arrest of the main opposition leaders are still underway, in fact, journalists are increasingly faced with the arrest.
The accounting accounts of demonstrators and opposition figures were also said to have been blocked under Erdogan’s orders.
In addition, on March 13, 2025, a new cybersecurity law was also applied, introducing new powers to combat cybercrime in the country. These include “two to five years in prison for having falsely affirmed that a data leak linked to cybersecurity has occurred,” said Bianet English.
However, digital rights are now afraid that these new powers are too wide and could be used to restrict independent reports and stifle dissent, have reported the world votes. This could de facto further increase the levels of censorship on the Internet.
