Ankara had generated a new social media law under which
social media companies were required to appoint local representatives in Turkey.
However, Twitter, Pinterest, and Periscope failed to comply with the policy, leading
to Ankara imposing advertising bans on these companies.
The law states that social media companies that do not
appoint local representatives are liable for a series of penalties and allows
authorities to remove content from platforms, instead of blocking access as
they did previously.
The advertising bans went into effect from Tuesday. Moreover,
Deputy Transport Minister Omer Fatih Sayan said that the authorities are
determined to do whatever is necessary to protect the data, privacy and rights
of the nation. He further added that Twitter and Pinterest’s bandwidth would be
cut by 50% in April and by 90% in May. “We will never allow digital fascism and
disregard of rules to prevail in Turkey,” said Sayan.
Although Facebook said that it would appoint a local
representative in the country, it also added that it would take back the
decision if faced with any pressure regarding the rules and regulations of its
platform.
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had faced fines in Turkey in
the last few months for not complying with Ankara’s law around social media.
