Turkey has blocked access to the Instagram platform, as confirmed by the country’s information technology regulator on Friday, without providing a reason or timeline for the ban, which also rendered the platform’s mobile app inaccessible. There was no immediate response from Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Instagram, regarding the ban.
This action comes after Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun criticized Instagram on Wednesday for allegedly blocking condolence posts related to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent figure in the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Altun labeled the action “censorship, pure and simple,” stating on X that Instagram had not specified any policy violations for its decision.
Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) published the ban on its website on August 2.
