Meta meets demands, Turkiye unblocks 9-day ban on Instagram

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Aug 2024 00:31
2 Shares

Turkiye's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu says representatives of Instagram agreed to respond to Ankara's demands.

Listen

In this photo illustration, the Instagram logo is displayed on a computer screen in front of the Turkish flag in Ankara, Turkiye, on August 10, 2024. (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Turkiye announced on Saturday that it had restored access to Instagram after the social media company agreed to meet the Turkish authorities' demands.

The platform had been blocked on August 2 for failing to comply with Turkey's "laws and rules" and public sensitivities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, had accused Instagram of blocking condolence messages for martyr Ismael Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' Political Bureau, who was assassinated in an Israeli operation in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

"Following our negotiations with representatives of Instagram, we will unblock access starting from 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) after they agreed to respond to our demands," Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed on X.

Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devleti olarak; katalog suçları çerçevesinde uyguladığı politikalardan dolayı sosyal medya platformu Instagram’a 2 Ağustos tarihinde taleplerimize karşılık vermediği için erişim engeli getirmiştik.

Baştan beri sosyal medya platformlarının Türkiye Cumhuriyeti…
— Abdulkadir URALOĞLU (@a_uraloglu) August 10, 2024

"Since the beginning, we have wanted social media platforms to respect the laws of the Republic," he indicated.

Uraloglu cited "violations linked to content," adding that Instagram had refused to delete thousands of posts involving "gambling, drugs and abuse of children."

Meta, Instagram's parent company, denied any lack of cooperation, stating that it had removed nearly 2,500 posts at the request of Turkish authorities in the first half of the year.

"Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkiye, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism," Uraloglu confirmed on Saturday.

He added that Meta agreed to comply with Turkish law, ensuring the swift removal of posts containing elements of certain crimes or "terrorism propaganda".

The nine-day ban on Instagram sparked protests from users and small businesses that rely on the platform to connect with customers.

According to data platform Statista, Turkiye ranks fifth globally in Instagram usage, with over 57 million users, following India, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia.

In Turkiye, Instagram is widely used, with around 60 to 70% of the country's 85 million inhabitants holding accounts, and approximately $57 million in business conducted on the platform each day, highlighted Emre Ekmekci, vice-president of an e-commerce association.

Internet monitor NetBlocks confirmed that Instagram was being restored across Turkiye's main Internet providers after the nine-day restriction, marking the longest ban of a major social media platform in the country in recent years.