Istanbul, Aug. 2, (dpa/GNA) – The Turkish authorities blocked social media platform Instagram on Friday, according to state-affiliated news agency DHA, citing the Turkish Information and Communication Technology Authority.
The decision to block access to the site was made on Friday, but it was not initially clear why or for how long.
On Friday morning, users could only access the popular platform by using a protected network connection, known as a virtual private network (VPN).
Cyber rights activist Yaman Akdeniz wrote on X that the reason was “national security and the protection of public order.”
Geoblocking involves blocking content based on the IP address of users in certain regions. The impact on users with a foreign SIM card in Turkey, for example, can vary.
The move comes after Turkey’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, on Wednesday accused Instagram of blocking condolence messages for Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group who was killed the same day. Altun accused the platform of censorship.
However it was initially unclear whether this was why Turkey blocked access to the platform.
Turkey declared a day of national mourning for Haniyeh’s death on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a post on X.
Turkey maintains good relations with Hamas, and Erdoğan met Haniyeh in Istanbul in April.
GNA