Turkey Restricts Access To Major Social Media Platforms Amid Opposition Rallies

By Melissa Enoch | 1 min read | Arise | 3 weeks ago | 1071 views

Netblocks, a global internet monitoring organisation, reported on Monday that access to major online platforms—including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp—has been restricted across multiple networks in Turkey.

The restrictions coincided with calls by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for rallies, following the deployment of police barricades around the party’s headquarters in Istanbul.

Data from Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association, which tracks local internet censorship, indicated that the disruptions began at 2045 GMT on Sunday, with bandwidth throttling observed for the affected platforms.

Turkey’s Access Providers Union, responsible for implementing internet blocking decisions, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the restrictions.

The move has raised concerns about digital freedoms in Turkey, highlighting tensions between government security measures and citizens’ access to information online.

Melissa Enoch

Source: Arise