Turkey banned Facebook and other giant social media platforms after the latest bombing incident in Istanbul.
(Photo : Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)
A mourner lays flowers as people grieve the victims of November 13 explosion at the busy shopping street of Istiklal in Istanbul on November 14, 2022.
The attack happened on Sunday, Nov. 13. The Turkey government said that this bombing is considered to be the deadliest in more than five years.
The blast took eight lives and caused 81 injuries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would punish those responsible for the bombing.
Of course, many videos and content regarding the bombing circulated on the internet. Because of this, the Turkish government decided to implement a massive access ban.
Turkey Bans Facebook, Other Socmed Platforms
According to Bleeping Computer's latest report, an unexpected broadcast ban was imposed by Turkey's RTUK (Radio and Television Supreme Council).
(Photo : Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)
Members of a forensic team work after a strong explosion of unknown origin shook the busy shopping street of Istiklal in Istanbul, on November 13, 2022. - Turkish President condemned the "vile attack" that ripped through central Istanbul, and said it killed six people and wounded over 50 others, on November 13, 2022.
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"A broadcast ban was imposed on the explosion in Istanbul. It is brought to the attention of all our media organizations," said the media organization via its official Twitter post.
İstanbul’daki patlamaya ilişkin yayın yasağı getirilmiştir. Tüm medya kuruluşlarımızın dikkatine önemle sunulur. pic.twitter.com/M09pddfOUc
— RADYO VE TELEVİZYON ÜST KURULU (@rtukkurumsal) November 13, 2022
Turkish ISPs (Internet Service Providers) also decided to block access to social media platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Telegram.
NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors internet governance and cybersecurity, also confirmed the massive social media ban by Turkey.
ℹ️ Update: Metrics show that access to social media is being restored in #Turkey; Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook were restricted and a media ban imposed after a deadly bombing near #Taksim, #Istanbul; incident duration ~10 hours
📰 Report: https://t.co/Xww9RgoNlu pic.twitter.com/qUOrRWuLCR— NetBlocks (@netblocks) November 14, 2022
But, NetBlocks also tweeted that access to social media is already being restored by the Turkish government early on Monday, Nov. 14.
Is it a Part of the New Fakes News Law?
The Turkish government didn't really specify why access to major social media platforms was suddenly blocked after the Istanbul blast.
Previously, Turkish President Erdogan proposed a new disinformation law, which went into effect later on.
This new "fake news" law aims to penalize journalists and social media users for spreading false content, especially posts that could create fear and disturb public order.
Based on these details, there's a chance that the massive social media ban was implemented to prevent residents from posting Istanbul bombing videos and other content.
There's no denying that Facebook and other social media platforms are teeming with fake news and other false content.
Previously, we reported that fake Facebook accounts copying legit European news outlets were taken down by Meta.
Aside from this issue, Russia also tagged Facebook owner Meta as a "terrorist and extremist.
For more news updates about social media platforms and other related internet topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by Griffin Davis
