Human Rights Watch and the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) sent a letter to major tech companiesabout a new wave of internet censorship in Turkey.
The Turkish government’s effort to block social media by slowing down the internet follows mass protests sparked by the March 19 arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other municipal officials.
Here is the letter from İFÖD warning technology companies:
“Immediately following the arrests of Istanbul Mayor Ekremİmamoğlu and other municipal officials, social media platforms and messaging apps were restricted for 42 hours. Since then, Turkey’s Information Technologies Authority(BTK) has ordered social media platforms to block access to hundreds of accounts, including those of student groups, journalists, civil society organizations, women’s rights groups and human rights defenders, in an attempt to suppress protestcoordination and silence dissent.
Social media companies have reacted differently to the censorship orders they have received. In April, Meta said in a case study that it had taken no action on orders to block protest-related content. On March 23, X issued a statementthat some of the orders it had received from the Turkish government were unlawful – but still complied with the request to block more than 471 accounts. On May 8, Turkish X blocked the Turkish account of Imamoglu, the imprisonedTurkish mayor with 9.7 million followers. X said later the same day that they strongly disagreed with the decision and were appealing it in court.
In a joint open letter to Meta, TikTok, YouTube and X, we call on the companies to protect their users’ right to freedom of expression in Turkey and resist state censorship that restrictsexpression protected under international human rights law.”
The letter outlines the following key recommendations for social media companies:
• Evaluate blocking orders against international freedom of expression standards and resist compliance with blocking orders that restrict access to protected expression.
• Be transparent about government requests for censorship.
• Engage with other companies to take a united stand against government pressure, and with Turkish civil society to better understand the impact of companypolicies and practices.