TURKEY: On August 2, Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) unexpectedly blocked access to the social media platform Instagram. The authority did not provide a specific reason for the decision, and users have reported that the Instagram mobile app is also unavailable.
In an official statement, the BTK announced, “instagram.com has been blocked by a decision dated 02/08/2024,” but did not offer any further explanation.
Many Turkish users have taken to other social media platforms, such as X, to express their frustration over the Instagram blackout. They reported difficulties in refreshing their Instagram feeds, a situation confirmed by AFP journalists.
Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency's communications director, criticized Instagram for allegedly hindering the ability of users to post messages of condolence for Ismail Haniyeh, a key figure in Hamas and a supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was killed in Tehran on August 1 in an attack attributed to Israel. Altun condemned the move as a “clear and obvious attempt at censorship” in a post on X.
Turkey has a significant Instagram user base, with over 50 million users out of a population of approximately 85 million. The decision to block Instagram has led to widespread ridicule on other social media platforms. Memes and posts mocking the ban have gone viral, including a popular one depicting a crowded metro station with the caption: “X when Turks wake up to find that Instagram is blocked.”
This action is not unprecedented in Turkey, where authorities have previously restricted access to various social media sites. For instance, Wikipedia was blocked from April 2017 to January 2020 due to disputes over articles linking the presidency to extremism. Additionally, in April, Meta’s Threads social network was suspended in Turkey following regulatory actions preventing it from sharing information with Instagram.
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