Turkey has blocked access to social media platform Instagram, the infotech regulator announced on Friday. The ban was implemented without any stated reason or specified duration, leaving the platform’s mobile app inaccessible for Turkish users.
This move came shortly after Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun criticized Instagram for allegedly blocking condolence posts about the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a key official of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“This is censorship, pure and simple,” Altun, the communications director of the Turkish presidency, expressed on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Instagram of not citing any policy violations for its action.
As of now, there has been no response from Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), regarding the ban or Altun’s comments. Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) published the decision on its website on August 2.