Turkey has officially blocked access to the instant messaging platform, Discord, following a court ruling that the platform failed to provide requested data to Turkish authorities.
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.
