O n August 2, 2024, Turkey's Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) implemented a ban on Instagram, citing the platform's failure to comply with requests to remove content deemed criminal under Turkish law. The ban also rendered Instagram's mobile app inaccessible within Turkey.
The BTK did not initially provide a reason or duration for the ban. The decision came amid recent tensions involving Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun, who had criticized Instagram for allegedly blocking condolence posts related to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent figure in the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Altun accused the platform of censorship, asserting that Instagram had not provided clear policy violations for its actions.
In response to inquiries from online news outlet Mediascope, a BTK official clarified that the ban was enforced due to the presence of various "catalog crimes" on the platform. These included "insulting Atatürk," "sexual abuse of a minor," and "incentivizing alcohol use and gambling." The official stated that Instagram had been repeatedly warned about these issues but had failed to act accordingly.
The BTK official refuted claims circulating on social media that the ban was a retributive measure related to posts about Haniyeh's assassination. They emphasized that such content was not a factor in the decision to block Instagram.
The platform will remain banned until Instagram complies with BTK's content removal requests. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's official Instagram account briefly posted a story wishing for a "Blessed Friday" during the ban, but the post was removed within an hour following public backlash for accessing the platform while it was restricted for the rest of the country.
The Turkish competition authority had previously scrutinized Instagram's sister platform, Threads, leading to its shutdown in Turkey on April 29. Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, was fined 1.2 billion Turkish lira ($37.20 million) after investigations into data-sharing practices across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
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