Internet regulation in Turkey

Internet regulation in Turkey is primarily authorized under the Electronic Communications Law (ECL) and the Internet Act and carried out by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA).

In 2018, the Turkish parliament passed a law giving the national broadcast media regulator, the High Council for Broadcasting (RTÜK), authority to monitor and regulate internet services. The law requires online video and streaming services to apply for a license to broadcast to Turkish internet users.[1][2]

Turkey's internet, in 2018 which has 42.3 million active users, holds a 'Not Free' ranking in Freedom House's index.[3] Turkish government has constantly blocked websites like Instagram, Discord, Twitter, YouTube and Wikipedia.[4][5][6] Video games such as Roblox were banned.[7] According to Twitter's transparency report, Turkey leads in social media censorship.[8]

  1. ^ "New law reinforces Turkish government's control of the Internet | Reporters without borders". RSF. 2018-03-27. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  2. ^ "Turkey's government takes new powers to censor the internet". The Economist. 2018-05-24. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  3. ^ "Freedom on the Net 2016". freedomhouse.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Turkey blocks instant messaging platform Discord". Reuters.
  5. ^ "Turkey blocks Instagram amid 'censorship' row". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  6. ^ "Twitter wrong to block tweets during Turkey election - Wikipedia founder". 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  7. ^ "Türkiye's wave of bans: Instagram, Roblox shut down, Facebook, TikTok, X next? - Türkiye Today". Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  8. ^ "Turkey leads in social media censorship: new Twitter transparency report". turkeyblocks.org. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.