Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the access ban imposed on the Instagram social media platform will be lifted as of 21:30 on Saturday evening. The access ban was lifted a few minutes after the specified time. Instagram can now be accessed via mobile applications and the web without a VPN.
Minister Uraloğlu, in his statement on the X platform, emphasized that the Republic of Turkey is sensitive in its relations with social media platforms, especially in meeting the demands within the framework of catalogue crimes.
Minister Uraloğlu reminded that access to Instagram was blocked on August 2nd due to non-compliance with the laws of the Republic of Turkey. He stated that this decision was taken because the platform did not meet the demands regarding catalog crimes. Uraloğlu stated that Turkey has been demanding that social media platforms respect national laws since the beginning, and announced that intensive talks were held with Instagram authorities in this context.
Meta and catalogue crimes were dealt with
Uraloğlu stated that as a result of the meetings, Meta officials made a commitment to meet the demands, especially regarding catalog crimes, and noted that the platform promised to conduct a joint study on the censorship policies to be applied to users in this regard. Uraloğlu announced that the access ban on Instagram would be lifted as of 21:30 on August 10 after these commitments were received.
This access ban, which was implemented specifically for Instagram, has once again brought to the agenda Turkey’s regulations on social media platforms and their stance on complying with national laws. Turkey expects close cooperation from social media platforms, especially on issues such as protecting children, preventing terrorist propaganda, and taking measures against other catalog crimes. In this context, the agreement reached with Meta may also set an example for other social media platforms.
Update: This news has been updated with the access ban on Instagram being lifted.