Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, recently announced that the social media companies operating in the country will have to set up an office that reviews all their posts and takes them down if found offensive.
Several people have raised concerns saying that the move threatens freedom of expression.
The social media giants in Turkey include YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The government officials have also revealed that the companies not abiding by the rule will be fined and face data speed cuts.
President Erdogan also said that social media platforms are immoral in his speech.
AKP and MHP, who rule the parliament at the moment, jointly passed the bill on Wednesday. The bill mandates a significant 95% cut to the company’s data if they don’t comply with the rule.
None of the social media giants have commented on the issue yet.
The Turkish government is notorious for frequent internet shutdowns.
Andrew Gardner, a human rights activist criticized the bill and said it gives the government more control over the police and censors public expression.
He added that the move leads to, “exacerbating risks to those who are already ruthlessly targeted by the authorities simply for expressing dissenting opinions.”
