Turkiye: Introduced Bill amending Law on Regulating Publications Made on the Internet including content moderation regulation

On 30 May 2024, the Bill amending Law on Regulating Publications Made on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed Through These Publications was introduced to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The Bill would require the Turkish representation of the social network provider "TikTok" to prevent access to content that contradicts “general morals, public interest, and the traditions, customs, and practices of Turkish society” before their publication. In case TikTok fails to block access to content that violates specified standards, the local Republic Prosecutor, the Criminal Court of Peace, or the Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) has the authority to order the removal of the content or block access to it. In case of non-compliance, the BTK can restrict internet traffic bandwidth by 50%. If non-compliance persists for thirty more days, the BTK will take further measures to completely restrict the provider's internet traffic in Turkey.