New Delhi: On August 2, Turkeys infotech regulator announced a nationwide block on the social media platform Instagram. The ban, which also rendered the app inaccessible on mobile devices, was implemented without an official explanation or indication of its duration. This move followed criticism from Turkish communications director Fahrettin Altun, who accused Instagram of censorship.Fahrettin Altun, the communications director of the Turkish presidency, criticized Instagram on August 1 for blocking condolence posts related to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent figure in the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This is censorship, pure and simple, Altun stated on X, highlighting that Instagram did not provide any policy violation reasons for its actions. There was no immediate response from Meta Platforms Inc., Instagrams parent company, regarding either the ban or Altuns comments.Regulatory decisionThe Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) of Turkey officially published the decision on its website on August 2. Meta Platforms Inc. has yet to comment on the ban or Altuns remarks.Previous bans and regulationsThis incident is not the first time Turkey has imposed restrictions on social media platforms. In April 2024, Meta temporarily shut down its social media platform Threads in Turkey to comply with an interim order from the Turkish competition authority. This order aimed to prevent data sharing between Instagram and Threads while investigating potential abuses of Metas dominant market position. Meta assured that this decision would not affect its other platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in Turkey.Controversial prosecutions and content deletionsIn August 2021, social media influencer Merve Taskin faced prosecution under Turkeys obscenity laws for posting photos from Amsterdams Sex Museum. The images included playful items like penis-shaped pasta and a sexy bottle opener. Taskin, with over 580,000 Instagram followers, shared these photos during a birthday trip to the Netherlands in January 2020.Additionally, Turkeys state broadcaster TRT deleted a photo of a rainbow-colored piñata from its Instagram account in 2021 after users criticized the post. This action came soon after Ankara banned the sale of rainbow and Pride apparel to minors, reflecting the governments ongoing stance against LGBTQ+ symbols. The piñata post had described the game as one where children who have their eyes closed will try to find the clay or cardboard puppet thats filled with candy. Negative reactions quickly followed, with comments warning about the potential issues caused by displaying rainbow colors.The blocking of Instagram highlights the ongoing tensions between social media platforms and governmental regulations in Turkey, with censorship and content control remaining contentious issues.
