Türkiye considers banning Telegram, according to reports
Türkiye might consider blocking Telegram due to the messaging app's purported inability to tackle the sale of child pornography and drugs, as reported by Takvim newspaper. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Türkiye may soon block Telegram due to the messaging app’s alleged noncompliance with the country's authorities, according to a report in Takvim newspaper. The company has reportedly ignored over 1,000 notifications from Türkiye’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK).
Recently, Ankara announced that it had restored access to Instagram, a popular social media platform, after a nine-day ban imposed earlier this month due to alleged censorship issues.
Previously, Türkiye has temporarily restricted access to various platforms and websites. In 2014, Twitter and YouTube faced bans of two weeks and two months, respectively. Wikipedia was inaccessible from 2017 until a ruling by Türkiye’s Constitutional Court lifted the ban in 2020.
In a Sunday article, Takvim reported that the BTK has persistently contacted Telegram, demanding the shutdown of channels responsible for selling drugs and pornographic content, including videos featuring children. The Ankara officials have also raised concerns about channels that purportedly enable illegal gambling and prostitution.
The newspaper indicated that Telegram has yet to reveal the identities of the subscribers and administrators of these problematic channels to Turkish authorities.
As reported by the Daily Sabah, Türkiye is home to around eight million Telegram users, making it one of the app’s largest markets.
In early August, BTK restricted access to Instagram in response to communications chief Fahrettin Altun's critique of the Meta-owned platform for allegedly hindering users from posting condolences after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a suspected Israeli strike in Tehran. Altun remarked that “this is a very clear and obvious attempt at censorship,” pledging to oppose social media platforms that “serve the global system of exploitation and injustice.”
However, on Saturday, Turkish authorities lifted the ban on Instagram, with Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu stating in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Instagram had “promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
Recently, Ankara announced that it had restored access to Instagram, a popular social media platform, after a nine-day ban imposed earlier this month due to alleged censorship issues.
Previously, Türkiye has temporarily restricted access to various platforms and websites. In 2014, Twitter and YouTube faced bans of two weeks and two months, respectively. Wikipedia was inaccessible from 2017 until a ruling by Türkiye’s Constitutional Court lifted the ban in 2020.
In a Sunday article, Takvim reported that the BTK has persistently contacted Telegram, demanding the shutdown of channels responsible for selling drugs and pornographic content, including videos featuring children. The Ankara officials have also raised concerns about channels that purportedly enable illegal gambling and prostitution.
The newspaper indicated that Telegram has yet to reveal the identities of the subscribers and administrators of these problematic channels to Turkish authorities.
As reported by the Daily Sabah, Türkiye is home to around eight million Telegram users, making it one of the app’s largest markets.
In early August, BTK restricted access to Instagram in response to communications chief Fahrettin Altun's critique of the Meta-owned platform for allegedly hindering users from posting condolences after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a suspected Israeli strike in Tehran. Altun remarked that “this is a very clear and obvious attempt at censorship,” pledging to oppose social media platforms that “serve the global system of exploitation and injustice.”
However, on Saturday, Turkish authorities lifted the ban on Instagram, with Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu stating in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Instagram had “promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
