Turkey’s infotech regulator announced on Friday that it has blocked access to the social media platform Instagram. The ban, which has also rendered the platform’s mobile app inaccessible, was implemented without providing a specific reason or duration.
This development comes after Turkish communications director Fahrettin Altun criticized Instagram on Wednesday for allegedly blocking condolence posts related to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Altun expressed his discontent on X, formerly known as Twitter, labeling Instagram’s action as “censorship, pure and simple.” He also noted that Instagram did not specify any policy violations to justify the removal of the posts.
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Instagram, has yet to comment on either the ban or Altun’s allegations.
The decision by Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) was published on its website on August 2.
