Between 2014 and 2019, the Turkish government has ordered the closure of some 27,000 social network accounts and nearly 246,000 websites

Turkey fines Twitter, Facebook and Instagram millions

photo_camera AFP/OZAN KOSE - Turkey accuses Instagram, Twitter and Facebook of breaking state laws and would have to pay more than a million dollars for the controversial law that strengthens the power of the Turkish authorities over these platforms

Turkey is accusing Instagram, Twitter and Facebook of breaking state laws and would have to pay more than a million dollars for the controversial law that strengthens the power of the Turkish authorities over these platforms.

"A fine of 10 million Turkish pounds (just over one million dollars) was imposed on social networking providers such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, Youtube and TikTok, who failed to declare that they had appointed a representative before the legal deadline," Omer Fatih Sayan, Turkey's deputy minister of transport and infrastructure, announced on Twitter.

The law, which was passed on 29 July, came into force in October in Turkey and aims at strengthening the authorities' control over social networks. This controversial text obliges social networks with more than a million connections a day, such as Twitter or Facebook, to declare a representative in Turkey and to respect the courts when they are required to withdraw a publication within 48 hours.

If they do not comply with these demands, the platforms can be punished with fines of up to 30 million Turkish pounds (over 3 million dollars), a ban on advertising revenue and a significant reduction in their bandwidth. In addition, they must take responsibility for "damage caused" if they do not remove content within 24 hours of a court order.

Also, these social networks must ensure that Turkish users' data is stored on a server located in Turkey, an aspect that has been controversial because of fears that this could facilitate the Turkish police's access to confidential data.

Twitter and Facebook have been in the sights of the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) for years, and he has already accused the bird's-eye view network of representing a "threat" to the country.

Last year, Turkey blocked access to 408,000 websites and forced the suppression of 40,000 tweets, 10,000 Youtube videos and 6,200 publications on Facebook, according to a report by the Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD).
 

Mujer redes Erdogan
Social Media Censorship Law

The amendment, promoted by the Islamist government formation AKP, was approved in the parliament in July with the support of its ally, the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The regulations oblige social networking companies to appoint a representative and to keep their servers in Turkey. Companies must store user data in the Eurasian country, and a 48-hour deadline is set for removing content deemed "offensive" by the authorities.

If they fail to comply with their obligations they could face fines of between 1,500 and 1 million dollars.

The main opposition parties, as well as several human rights NGOs and journalists' associations, oppose the reform as "unconstitutional. And they warn that the measure could lead to greater control and censorship of citizens.

"This amendment will significantly increase the government's powers to censor online content and prosecute users of social networks," Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's spokesperson in Turkey, said in a statement.

"It is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression on the web and contravenes international human rights law and standards," he added.

During the parliamentary debate, thousands of users posted messages on Twitter under the label "Stop the Censorship Law".
 

Erdogan

The government argues that the law is necessary because technology companies have failed to take action against activities such as sexual harassment, illegal gambling, fraud and support for terrorism.

The AKP had warned before that it intended to introduce legal measures to keep social networking giants like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube under control by forcing them to remove content or take on heavy fines.

Between 2014 and 2019, the Turkish government has ordered the closure of about 27,000 social network accounts and about 246,000 websites, according to a study by the Turkish Bilgi University and the Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD).

In January the digital encyclopaedia Wikipedia was again accessible from Turkey after almost three years of being banned, after the Constitutional Court considered that the blockade violated the rights set out in the Magna Carta.

Turkey ranks 154th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders index of press freedom and has arrested dozens of journalists on generic charges of supporting terrorism, according to human rights NGOs.

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