Turkey faces rising social media access blocks for journalists and NGOs

Concerns are rising in Turkey regarding a surge in access blocking orders targeting social media accounts belonging to journalists, academics, trade unions, and civil society organizations. The labor union DİSK Basın-İş has condemned these actions as “systematic X censorship,” arguing that such measures violate constitutional guarantees of press freedom and the right to information.

The union noted that accounts for various entities, including Amnesty International Turkey and several news outlets, have been removed under the justifications of “protecting national security and public order,” often without formal notification to the affected parties.

In response to these developments, lawmaker Utku Çakırözer has submitted a research motion to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Çakırözer called on platforms such as X and Meta to account for these restrictions, questioning the pressures they face and demanding transparency regarding why they comply with such blocking orders. He highlighted that since the authority for access blocking shifted to the Cyber Security Presidency, the frequency of these incidents has increased, impacting the country's digital memory and freedom of expression.