Turkey’s Erdogan says social media is a ‘threat to democracy’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described social media on Saturday as one of the main threats to democracy.

The Erdogan government plans to implement legislation to criminalize the spread of fake news and disinformation online, but critics say the proposed changes would toughen restrictions on freedom of expression.

“Social networks, which were described as a symbol of freedom when they first appeared, have become one of the main sources of threat to democracy today,” Erdogan said in a video message to a communications conference organized by the government in Istanbul.

He added: “We try to protect our people, especially the vulnerable sectors of our society, against lies and misinformation without violating the right of our citizens to receive accurate and impartial information.”

Turkey passed a law last year that requires social media platforms that have more than 1 million users to maintain a legal representative and store data in the country. Since then, major social media companies, including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, have established offices in Turkey.

The new legislation would make the dissemination of crimes of “disinformation” and “false news” punishable by up to five years in prison, according to pro-government media reports. It would also establish a social media regulator.

Most of Turkey’s major media companies are under government control, leaving social media an important medium for dissenting voices.

Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net report, released in September, characterized Turkey as “not free”, noting the removal of content critical of the government and the prosecution of people who post “undesirable” comments on social media.

–

Fountain

–