Social Media Censorship in Turkey
Artist: Socail media platforms: Youtube, Facebook, SoundCloud, Vimeo, and Twitter
Year: 2014
Date of Action: March 19, 2014
Region: Middle East
Location: Turkey
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Internet
Confronting Bodies: President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Turkish Government
Description of Artwork: While social media platforms have been banned in their entirety, the specific content targeted was wiretapped telephone conversations involving Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealing wrongdoing. The conversations were leaked on several social media sites. Apparently Erdogan wants to oversee and control internet activity in order to prevent content that could attack his government party and the integrity of it.
The Incident: Turkey's President, Abdullah Gul, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have put into place several amendments that would regulate internet activity. The amendments are known as 5651 and they pose a threat to media freedom in Turkey. The amendments would regulate the content of Youtube, Facebook, and other social media.
Results of Incident: As a result of this incident, the media industry in Turkey has responded with protests. Debates about free speech are taking place all over Turkey, with the future of the media at stake. In response to the restrictions, a Turkish court has ordered that the blocks on Twitter be lifted.
