57 million people got their access to Instagram restored after this 9-day forced blackout
Meta is pleased that Turkey decided to lift the access ban on Instagram that the country imposed several days ago.
However, Meta continues talks with national authorities in Turkey about content and accounts that violate its policies. This was the thing that got Turkey to impose the ban in the first place.
Turkey restored Instagram access after a total of nine days of suspension, reports Reuters. The block was implemented in the very beginning of August due to concerns that the platform was not complying with Turkish laws and regulations. The move followed accusations from a top Turkish official that Instagram had blocked posts mourning the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, stated that while it had not altered its policies, it agreed to review the handling of content and accounts in Turkey in response to the government's concerns. The company maintains that it allowed policy-violating content to remain visible if deemed newsworthy or in the public interest, following its standard practice.
Turkey is the fifth-largest country in terms of Instagram users, with over 57 million users, trailing only India, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia, according to Statista.
However, Meta continues talks with national authorities in Turkey about content and accounts that violate its policies. This was the thing that got Turkey to impose the ban in the first place.
We are pleased to see that Instagram is back up and running in Turkey [...] We remain in dialogue with the authorities and will continue to take action on any violating content and accounts.This includes removing content that violates our Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy and applying newsworthy allowances where appropriate.
– Meta spokesperson in a statement to Reuters
The ban sparked protests from users and small businesses who rely on Instagram for reaching their audiences. It's only natural that people are not happy when someone interferes with their business, but personally, I think that it's somewhat risky to rely that much on Instagram and such platforms. They could go out at any moment, as we clearly see…
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, stated that while it had not altered its policies, it agreed to review the handling of content and accounts in Turkey in response to the government's concerns. The company maintains that it allowed policy-violating content to remain visible if deemed newsworthy or in the public interest, following its standard practice.
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Things that are NOT allowed: