On Saturday, Turkey announced that it had restored access to Instagram after the company agreed to work with authorities to address the government’s concerns.
The Turkish government had blocked Instagram starting on August 2 due to the platform's failure to adhere to the country's laws and sensitivities, including accusations of blocking condolence posts for Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader. The nine-day suspension led to protests from users and small businesses that rely on the platform.
Turkey, which ranks fifth globally in Instagram usage with over 57 million users, is known for its significant engagement on the platform.
"As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block...after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users," Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced in a post on X.
Turkish law categorizes crimes into various types, including murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, abuse, and torture.
"Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism," Uraloglu said.
Instagram parent Meta had agreed to comply with Turkish law and ensure efficient removal of posts and content if they carry elements of certain crimes or "terrorism propaganda", Uraloglu said.
