Meta faces heavy fine for defying Turkey’s online censorship orders

Facebook parent company Meta has been fined a 'substantial' amount by Turkish authorities for failing to comply with orders to limit content, according to a report by POLITICO. The exact amount of the fine has not been disclosed.

The Turkish government has ordered the suspension of social media accounts sharing information on widespread protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

A Meta spokesperson stated that the company refused to comply with Turkish government requests to restrict content that it believes serves the public interest, resulting in the imposed fine.

Meta has previously faced content removal requests from Turkish authorities. According to its 2024 transparency report, the company received 5,677 such requests, with 4,199 coming from Turkey’s communications authority. The report stated that Meta complied with 40 percent of these requests.

The enforcement of content restrictions has also affected other social media platforms. Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has suspended multiple accounts belonging to journalists and opposition figures since the outbreak of civil unrest, despite Musk’s previous assertions of being a “free speech absolutist.”

X has stated that it is contesting Turkish government directives to block accounts and has taken legal action by appealing to Turkey’s Constitutional Court over an order affecting 126 accounts. However, a document reviewed by POLITICO indicates that the order in question was issued several weeks before the current wave of protests.

The Turkish government’s actions are part of a broader effort to regulate online speech amid the ongoing unrest. Meta has expressed concern that governmental demands to restrict digital expression, along with the potential threat of platform shutdowns, pose significant challenges to individuals' ability to communicate freely.