Turkey blocks Instagram, gives no specific reason
In a significant development, Turkey has blocked access to the social media platform Instagram, the infotech regulator announced on Friday, without providing a reason or specifying the duration of the ban. This also left the platform's mobile app inaccessible.
The decision came after Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun criticized Instagram on Wednesday for blocking condolence posts regarding the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a key official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Altun labeled the action as "censorship" and noted that Instagram had not cited any policy violations. There has been no immediate comment from Instagram's parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., regarding the ban or Altun's remarks.
Turkey's Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) published the decision on its website on August 2.