After Russia, Turkey blocks access to Discord Over Criminal Content concern
- In Reports
- 12:32 PM, Oct 10, 2024
- Myind Staff
Turkey blocked access to the social media platform Discord on Wednesday, following an Ankara court decision. According to a statement published by the BTK communications authority, the move comes amid concerns over crimes related to "child sexual abuse and obscenity" committed by some users on the platform.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed the decision, stating, "We are determined to protect our young people and our children ... from harmful and criminal publications on social media and the internet." His remarks were shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The ban on Discord follows public outrage in Turkey after the murder of two women by a 19-year-old man in Istanbul last Friday. Media reports suggest that some Discord users praised the killings, leading to increased scrutiny of the platform.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu commented on the challenges of monitoring platforms like Discord. "Since Discord refuses to share its own information, including IP addresses and content, with our security units, we were forced to block access," Uraloglu said. He also highlighted the difficulties authorities face when trying to intervene in illegal or criminal activities shared on the platform.
Discord, a popular US-based social media platform with around 150 million users, is widely used among video game fans and companies as an internal messaging tool. It allows users to share text, audio, and video for free.
In response to the block, Discord stated, "We are aware of reports of Discord being unreachable in Russia and Turkey. Our team is investigating these reports at this time."
The Turkish government has taken similar actions in the past. In August, access to the video game platform Roblox was banned, citing content harmful to children. Turkey also briefly blocked access to Instagram for several days.
On Tuesday, Russia also announced a ban on Discord, citing concerns over its use for "terrorist and extremist purposes."
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