Turkiye Lifts Instagram Ban, Cites Deal On Content Removal Rules

ISTANBUL, Aug 11 (Bernama-dpa) -- Turkiye restored access to popular social media platform Instagram after more than a week on Saturday, saying its US-based parent company, Meta, accepted Ankara’s terms on content removal, reported German news agency (dpa). 

"The access ban on Instagram has been lifted," Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu wrote on social media platform X.

Meta agreed to Turkish government rules on removal of content which Ankara deems criminal, Uraloğlu wrote on X in a previous message.

There was no immediate reaction from Meta.

Meta also now shares the Turkish government's "sensitivity" regarding removing content related to groups whom Ankara considers "terrorist" such as the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, Uraloğlu added.

Uraloğlu last week said Meta failed to meet rules on removing content that constitute a crime in Turkiye such as sexual abuse, encouraging gambling or insulting the republic's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, according to state news agency Anadolu.

Users in Turkiye have for the past week only been able to access the popular platform by using a protected network connection, known as a virtual private network.

The ban came after Turkiye's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, accused Instagram of blocking condolence messages for Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas group who was killed in Iran. Altun accused the platform of censorship.

Turkiye had declared a day of national mourning for Haniyeh's death.

The country maintains good relations with Hamas, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Haniyeh in Istanbul in April.

-- BERNAMA-dpa