Meta announces restoration of Instagram access in Turkey

• Published On: 13 August 2024 at 19:45

Meta announced on Tuesday that it had approved Turkey's decision to restore access to Instagram after a nine-day suspension period.

The company reiterated its commitment to working with Turkish authorities to address any content or accounts that violated its policies.

"We are glad to see that Instagram is back up and running in Turkey." We are still in contact with the authorities and will continue to take action against any violating content and accounts," a Meta spokesperson said.

The spokesperson stated that Meta will enforce its Dangerous Organisations & Individuals policy and make newsworthy allowances as needed. The Turkish government blocked Instagram access on August 2, citing the platform's failure to comply with local laws and regulations.

The block came after allegations that Instagram had censored posts commemorating the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This action sparked protests from platform users and small businesses.

In response to the ban, an Izmir court recently ordered the arrest of a woman for allegedly inciting hatred and insulting the president after she criticised the Instagram suspension, according to media reports.

Meta clarified that it had not changed its policies, but agreed to review the accuracy of actions taken regarding policy violations in Turkey, particularly in light of Haniyeh's death. Some policy-violating content can remain visible if it is deemed newsworthy or in the public interest.

According to Statista, Turkey ranks fifth globally in Instagram usage, with over 57 million users, trailing only India, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia.