Turkish authorities have blocked Instagram after officials in Ankara accused the platform of “censorship” over the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
According to Türkiye’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), access to the social media platform was blocked on Friday. No formal reason was given for the move, nor any indication of how long the ban would last.
Fahrettin Altun, the country’s communications chief, had slammed the Meta-owned network earlier this week for its response to the killing of Haniyeh. The Hamas political leader was killed in a bombing in Tehran on Wednesday, with the Palestinian militant group and Iran accusing Israel of orchestrating the attack. West Jerusalem has neither denied nor confirmed involvement, but has repeatedly vowed to destroy Islamist “terrorists” who threaten the Jewish state.
Altun “strongly condemned” Instagram, claiming it had “prevented people from posting condolences on Haniyeh’s martyrdom without giving any reason.”
“This is a very clear and obvious attempt at censorship,” he argued, vowing that Ankara “will continue to defend freedom of expression against these platforms, which have repeatedly shown that they serve the global system of exploitation and injustice.”
As of February 2024, the number of Instagram users in Türkiye – a country with a population of 83 million – totaled around 58 million, according to Statista. One person can create multiple accounts on the platform.
Türkiye has temporarily banned various social networks several times in the past. In 2014, the country’s authorities blocked Twitter and YouTube for two weeks and two months respectively, after leaked videos purporting to show corruption at the highest levels of government went viral.
Wikipedia was also blocked by Türkiye in 2017 and 2020, over an article that described the country as a state sponsor of several terrorist groups. In 2019, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that the move violated human rights and ordered the ban to be lifted.
PM’s Office slams Meta for removing Instagram post featuring PM Anwar Ibrahim and Hamas leaders, demands apology
The Media and Strategic Communications Division of the Prime Minister’s Office today condemned Meta’s action of removing an Instagram post that featured a meeting between the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, last May and called on the tech giant to issue an apology.
In a statement posted on Facebook today, it said the action clearly demonstrated discrimination against the situation in Palestine and its leaders.
"We demand an explanation regarding this matter and urge Meta to issue an apology,” said the statement.
Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, Iran, along with one of his bodyguards earlier today.
The news was confirmed by Hamas political bureau member Musa Abu Marzuk.
Last Saturday, MCMC said it would introduce a new regulatory framework for safe Internet use by children and families on August 1, with implementation set for January 1, 2025.
Under the new framework, social media and Internet messaging services with at least eight million registered users in Malaysia must apply for an Application Service Provider Class Licence under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday said the social media licence targets online crime and safeguards freedom of speech. He also reaffirmed that it is to tackle the spread of crime and harmful information online.
Removal Of PM's Posts Probably Done By Higher Power At Meta - Fahmi
The decision to remove Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts relating to the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was probably done by those at the higher level at Meta Platforms Inc (Meta) and not by their team in Southeast Asia, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said in a series of discussions he had with the management of Meta at the Southeast Asia level so far, they hinted that they were not the ones who removed the Prime Minister’s posts from Facebook and Instagram.
“There is a possibility that it involved a higher-level decision. The Meta team in the region is also confused as to why it happened, so I don't blame them because this is not an action on their part. So, we are waiting for further explanation.
“I was made to understand that a Meta delegation will come to Kuala Lumpur next week to explain the matter, so we’ll give them until then,” he told reporters after joining the Prime Minister and some 3,000 congregants in performing Friday prayer and absentee funeral prayer for Haniyeh at Masjid Negara here today.
Also present were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar and Chief of Defence Forces General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman.
Elaborating, Fahmi said the removal of social media posts by Meta, like what happened to the Prime Minister, should not have happened to anybody.
“It’s quite funny because the United States is talking about freedom of expression and freedom of speech. So in Meta’s case, I think they really have to practice what they preach. Otherwise, it’s just hypocrisy,” he said.
Haniyeh, who was also the former Prime Minister of Palestine, was reported to have been killed in an airstrike that targeted his residence in Tehran, Iran, in the early hours of July 31.
He was there to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
No comments:
Post a Comment