Turkey has officially blocked access to the instant messaging platform Discord, as announced by the country’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) on Wednesday. This decision follows a ruling by a court in Ankara that found sufficient grounds to suspect that crimes involving “child sexual abuse and obscenity” had occurred on the platform.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc emphasized the government’s commitment to safeguarding youth and children from harmful online content. “We are determined to protect our youth and children from the harmful publications of social media and the internet that constitute crimes. We will never allow attempts to shake the foundations of our social structure,” Tunc stated in a post on social media platform X.
The decision to ban Discord comes in the wake of public outrage following the recent murder of two women by a 19-year-old man. In the aftermath of this tragic incident, some social media users on Discord reportedly expressed support for the killings, further fueling public anger against certain communities on the platform.
This move by Turkey aligns with similar actions taken by other countries. Just a day earlier, Russia’s communications regulator also blocked Discord, citing violations of Russian law. The Russian authorities had previously fined the company for not removing prohibited content from its platform.
The blocking of Discord marks a significant development in Turkey’s ongoing efforts to regulate online communication and combat what the government deems harmful content.
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