Turkey Blocks Instagram: Accusation of Censorship

The Turkish government has blocked access to Instagram, accusing the U.S.-based social media platform of censoring posts about the assassination of Hamas politician Ismail Haniyeh. This was initiated by the country's Information and Communication Technologies Authority on Friday, while other services of the parent company Meta, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, remain accessible. Fahrettin Altun, Turkey’s communications chief and a close adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, sharply criticized Instagram, accusing the platform of "preventing people from posting condolences for the deceased Hamas leader Haniyeh." He described this as "pure and simple censorship." A statement from Meta has yet to be released. Ankara's blockade of Instagram comes amid Turkey’s heightened criticism of Israel and its supporters in the context of the war in Gaza. The Turkish government has imposed trade restrictions against Israel and accuses the country of committing genocide in Gaza. President Erdoğan called the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran attributes to Israel, an "abhorrent act" aimed at "disrupting the Palestinian cause." In a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday evening, Erdoğan expressed his "deep disappointment" over the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. Congress last month. Ankara responded with an invitation to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to speak before the Turkish parliament in August. This decision once again illustrates how Erdoğan’s government uses the internet as a political tool, fueling concerns of autocratic development in Turkey. The number of websites censored or shut down by Turkish authorities has sharply increased in recent years, reaching about 1 million as of early 2024, compared to around 350,000 at the end of 2018, according to the Turkish Free Speech Association (İFÖD). Turkish censors block a wide array of content, including news websites like the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, social media posts, and YouTube videos. The censored topics range from articles critical of Erdoğan, pro-Kurdish and opposition websites, to material deemed obscene or criminal. Earlier this year, the government attempted to restrict Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, which are commonly used to bypass censorship measures, particularly ahead of the municipal elections in March. Additionally, Turkey threatened to block X in early 2024, after the platform refused to remove several controversial posts, which eventually did happen.