Instagram blocked in Turkey

Speculation swirls over the move against the Meta social media app amid geopolitical tensions following Ismail Haniyeh assassination

The Instagram social networking app has been blocked in Turkey, according to the country’s telecoms authority, as speculation swirls about the reason for the move.

“Instagram has been blocked by a decision on the date of 02/08/2024,” BTK, the communications authority in Turkey posted on its website, without further explanation, or information on how long the platform would be blocked.

The move comes days after the head of the Turkish Directorate of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, accused Instagram of blocking posts that contained condolences to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an assassination in Tehran.

"This is a very clear and obvious attempt at censorship," he posted to X (formerly Twitter).

"We will continue to defend freedom of expression against these platforms, which have repeatedly shown that they serve the global system of exploitation and injustice. We will stand by our Palestinian brothers at every opportunity and on every platform," Mr Altun added.

However, it is still not clear if that particular post or sentiment was the motivation behind Turkish regulators blocking Instagram.

Turkey’s restriction of Instagram, where users share short-form videos, photo carousels and messages, was first flagged by NetBlocks, an organisation which describes itself as a global internet monitor “working at the intersection of digital rights, cybersecurity and internet governance”.

“Live metrics show photo and video sharing platform Instagram has been restricted in Turkey,” NetBlocks posted to its Mastodon and X social media accounts.

“The ban implemented by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority follows a court order issued this morning to prevent access to the popular Meta social app,” NetBlocks added.

The Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, announced his opposition to the Instagram block.

"Limiting access to social media platforms stifles free expression and hinders the flow of information," he posted to X.

"I urge the authorities to reconsider this decision and lift this ban," Mr Imamoglu added.

It is not the first time Turkey has attempted to restrict the use of internet portals or social media apps.

In February 2023, the country minimised access to Twitter after a deadly earthquake in which at least 50,000 people are estimated to have died.

That restriction stemmed from an alleged proliferation of criticism of the government and misinformation on the platform, according to the Internet Society, a non-profit dedicated to global internet connectivity.

Turkey has also had regulatory issues with Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, Threads and WhatsApp.

In April, the Turkish Competition Authority announced the temporary shutdown of Threads in the country, based on a ruling made in March which accused Meta of violating Turkey’s rules for data sharing between apps, in this instance, between Instagram and Threads.

Similar concerns about data sharing between the apps temporarily delayed the launch of Threads in the EU, although those issues were largely resolved.

According to estimates, Instagram has approximately 2 billion monthly active users around the world.

Meta has not yet responded to requests for comment.