Instagram blocked in Turkey

The Information Technology and Communications Council of Turkey has limited access to Instagram✴ in the country, Turkish TV channel NTV reported, citing a statement from the department. The measure is associated with the actions of the social network company Meta✴ during the next round of the Middle East conflict.

Image source: Hüseyin Sevgi / pixabay.com

«On August 2, access to the Instagram✴ website was blocked by decision of the Information Technology and Communications Council,” the department said in a statement; no other details are given. The reason for blocking Instagram✴, according to NTV, may be the decision of the administration of the social network to delete publications related to the incident, which once again aggravated the Middle East conflict – the head of the communications department of the Turkish presidential administration, Fahrettin Altun, described this decision as “very clear and obvious an attempt at censorship.”

When the Middle East conflict entered an acute phase in October last year, Meta✴, which owns the social networks Facebook✴ and Instagram✴, accepted one of its sides and announced its intention to block publications authored by the other. On July 31, the conflict escalated when one of the major figures involved in it died. Ankara expressed condolences over the incident, and on August 2 the country declared a one-day mourning. However, the administration of Instagram✴ began to delete posts with condolences over the death of the leader of one of the parties.