Turkey Opens Instagram After Nine-Day Ban
2024-08-10 19:28:50
The Turkish authorities announced on Saturday that they were opening access to the Instagram platform, after having granted tens of millions of subscribers access for nine days.
“Following our negotiations with those responsible for Instagram, we will open access from 9:30 p.m.” declared Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. “After they have decided to respond to our questions.”
The platform had been banned in Turkey since the morning of August 2nd for unknown reasons, with accusations of “blame” and illegal content.
“From the beginning, we want social media platforms to respect the laws of the Republic,” Mr. Uraloglu emphasized.
The minister claimed that Instagram had refused to remove thousands of posts related to him concerning “gaming, drugs and child abuse.” The platform denied this, stating that it had removed nearly 2,500 pieces of content at the request of Turkish authorities.
Accused of “exaggeration”
The Turkish President’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, had earlier sued the platform, accusing it of “blame” and claiming that it hindered people from sending messages of comfort to a Palestinian martyr.
Impact on business and gaming
There are more than 50 million people on Instagram in Turkey, many of whom are business owners. Access to the platform is estimated to generate $57 million in daily revenue. The ban on Instagram also affected the popular online game Roblox, which was blocked for the fourth evening in a row.