The decision, announced on Wednesday, was published by Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority, adding to the growing issues related to content shared on the platform.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that the ban was implemented after suspicions arose that some users were involved in crimes related to child sexual abuse and obscenity. 

He explained that the decision came in response to a recent investigation following public outrage over the killing of two women by a 19-year-old man in Istanbul. Discussions and praise for the murders reportedly surfaced on Discord.

The Turkish government is unhappy about the difficulties in monitoring content on Discord, which is widely used for private communication.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu noted that, unlike other platforms, Discord’s structure prevents Turkish authorities from adequately accessing user information without cooperation from the company. 

He mentioned that the platform had refused to share data such as IP addresses and specific content, forcing the government to take action.

The ban in Turkey follows a similar move by Russia, which blocked Discord on Tuesday, accusing the platform of violating its national laws, particularly regarding the removal of prohibited content. Russia had previously fined the company over these issues.

This is not the first instance of Turkey restricting access to social media platforms. In recent times, the government blocked or imposed restrictions on platforms such as YouTube, Wikipedia, and Twitter, often in response to public unrest or security issues.

Despite the ban, some users in Turkey continue to access Discord via VPN services. 

This decision comes after a dispute with the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) regarding data-sharing practices between Threads and Instagram.

The TCA alleges that Meta is abusing its market dominance by combining user data from both platforms without obtaining explicit consent. 

In a blog post addressing the situation, Meta disagreed with the TCA’s interim order, asserting compliance with all Turkish legal requirements and announcing plans to appeal the decision. 

However, the company stated that it had no choice but to comply with the order and temporarily suspend Threads in Turkey. Meta aims to engage with the TCA constructively in hopes of reinstating Threads in the country swiftly.

For users of Threads in Turkey, Meta will notify them of the impending shutdown within the app before April 29. Users will have the option to either deactivate their profiles, preserving their data for potential reactivation if Threads returns to Turkey, or delete their profiles entirely. 

Additionally, users with deactivated profiles can download their posts and preserve their content through Meta’s Download Your Information tool at any time.

This is not the first time Meta has faced regulatory issues in Turkey. In 2022, the company received an $18.6 million fine for merging user data across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Threads, launched in 2023, allows users to share close-knit updates with their Instagram connections. While it has amassed 130 million users globally, critics have pointed out the requirement for an Instagram account to use Threads.

Turkish regulators initiated a renewed investigation in December over the integration of Threads with Instagram, culminating in the TCA’s interim order.

Meta emphasizes its obligation to work with the TCA and hopes to bring the app back to Turkish users soon. The ultimate goal is to ensure transparency and user privacy in social media platforms.