Twitter, Facebook Fined by Turkey for Breaching Law Aimed at Curbing Dissent -- Update
04 Noviembre 2020 - 10:36AM
Noticias Dow Jones
By David Gauthier-Villars
ISTANBUL -- Turkish authorities have fined Twitter Inc.,
Facebook Inc. and three other social-media platforms for failing to
comply with a new law that civil-rights activists have decried as
an attempt to stifle dissent.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and TikTok have each
been fined 10 million Turkish lira, equivalent to $1.2 million, for
missing a Nov. 2 deadline to appoint a country representative,
Turkey's deputy minister of transportation and infrastructure, Omer
Fatih Sayan, said Wednesday.
The new law, which was adopted in the summer and came into force
last month, gives the government more power to police content. In
addition to having permanent representatives in Turkey, the law
also requires social media companies to take steps to store Turkish
users' data in the country, and execute court orders to take down
content.
Failure to comply with the new law exposes operators to a
five-step regime of sanctions ranging from fines to being stripped
of advertising revenue and being subjected to near-complete access
restrictions.
A spokesman for Twitter, which also operates Periscope, and a
spokesman for Facebook, which owns Instagram, declined to comment.
TikTok didn't respond to a request for comment.
Those rules have alarmed opposition leaders and free-speech
advocates. They say social media has become one of the last few
spaces to express dissent after tycoons loyal to President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan acquired television channels and national newspapers
following a failed coup attempt in 2016. Dozens of other outlets
were closed amid accusations they supported the plotters.
Yaman Akdeniz, a professor at the Bilgi University and an
internet rights expert, said he expected Twitter, Facebook and
other large social media companies to resist appointing permanent
representatives, and weigh whether it is in their best interest to
continue operating in Turkey.
"Being in a country with a bad human rights track record (...)
is a litmus test for this type of companies," he said. "They aren't
invited to have Turkish coffee and a friendly chat. It is a hostile
environment."
Mr. Sayan, whose ministry oversees the country's internet
agency, said he was confident that all operators would comply. "Our
aim isn't to be in a quarrel with those providers, who serve
billions of people in the world," he said.
Write to David Gauthier-Villars at
David.Gauthier-Villars@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 04, 2020 11:21 ET (16:21 GMT)
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