"Turkey will become a digital prison": Erdogan's censorship revolution
A new law passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party tightens the presidency's control over freedom of expression on networks under the guise of "cybersecurity". The country's opposition is concerned following several cases of arrests and legal actions against journalists.
Erdogan tightens control: Human rights organizations have warned that a new Turkish cybersecurity law seeks to create a system of "total digital compliance" by granting the presidency sweeping powers over internet services, gaming platforms, and social media accounts, the British newspaper Financial Times reported today (Sunday).
About 90 percent of Turkey's national media outlets are already under government control, according to Reporters Without Borders, meaning platforms like X, YouTube, and Instagram are among the few spaces still relatively open to critical reporting and dissent. Turkey is ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in the latest RSF World Press Freedom Index.
"The new law is taken straight from the standard playbook for controlling information in authoritarian contexts," Tomiwa Ilori, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch's technology and rights division, told the British newspaper. "Cybersecurity powers should not be concentrated in the executive branch. They should also be subject to appropriate safeguards."
Under the law, digital oversight powers are officially concentrated in Turkey's Cybersecurity Directorate, which is provided to the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It can now determine urgent measures on its own initiative or at the request of security agencies. Telecom operators, access providers, and other online platforms must comply within two hours, with orders being reviewed by a judge after their implementation.
The law, which came into effect at the end of July, justifies the approach on the grounds of national security and describes cyberspace as a domain "as vital as conventional defense" for maintaining digital sovereignty, critical infrastructure, and public order. The concentration of cyber powers also prevents the duplication of roles of various state agencies and saves 30 billion Turkish liras (630 million dollars), according to Ersan Aksu, a member of parliament from Erdogan's Justice and Development Party.
But critics of the move, while acknowledging national security concerns, said that the broader context of Turkish censorship is what made the legislation alarming.
A smartphone screen shows the blocked X account of Ekrem Imamoglu, displaying the message "Account blocked". Turkey also regularly restricts social media services by limiting bandwidth, which slows down internet connections.
"Compliance regime"
"The new law is more than a cosmetic transfer of powers to the presidency," said Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor at Bilgi University in Istanbul and a leading digital rights activist. "It creates a command center for Turkey's digital compliance regime."
Professional organizations, including Turkey's chambers of computer and electrical engineers, have also criticized the move, which they claim is equivalent to "digital censorship". Tahsin Ocakli, a member of parliament from the opposition Republican People's Party, said its undefined powers risk turning Turkey into a "digital prison". These concerns are sharpened by the frequent prosecution of journalists, online commentators, and other media figures.
Two recent prominent cases include the arrest of German network Deutsche Welle reporter Alican Uludag on allegations including insulting the president. Photographer Banu Gerda was arrested separately for "obscenity" after saying in a YouTube interview that she wore a portable vibrator as a necklace pendant. Turkey also regularly restricts social media services by limiting bandwidth, which slows down internet connections enough to make the targeted platforms unusable.
Access to X, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other services was restricted for nearly two days during the mass protests that followed the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last year. Nearly 1,000 social media accounts with a combined audience of more than 25 million followers were also blocked, according to the Turkey Free Expression Association (İFÖD). These included Imamoglu's main Turkish X account, which had more than 9 million followers.
Last week, a Turkish court ordered X to restrict another Imamoglu account. X complied with the decision in Turkey but said it would appeal the ruling. The cyber reform comes after Turkey separately banned children under the age of 15 from having social media accounts. Unlike in Australia and France, where similar restrictions were imposed, major social media companies have shown little public resistance to the Turkish matter.
Turkish officials are also considering verifying age via e-Devlet, Turkey's online government services portal. Critics fear that without strong privacy safeguards, this would allow the state to match the identities of all Turkish social media users to their online accounts.
