New reforms to Turkey’s internet laws grant the government the ability to block websites without judicial procedures and checks and allows officials to keep individuals’ browsing histories for up to two years.
The reforms are already drawing staunch criticism from government opponents who say they are designed to quash dissent
The government says the reforms are aimed at protecting individual privacy, and not gagging its critics.
The measure allows telecommunications authorities to block access to material within four hours without a prior court order, tightening restrictions imposed in an already widely criticized law adopted in 2007. Under the new law, decisions to remove material taken by the telecoms authority will be subject to judicial review within 24 hours.
The 2007 legislation specifies “unauthorized gambling” among the many subjects that can be blocked. More than 40,000 internet sites are already blocked, according to Turkey’s engelliweb.com, which tracks access restrictions.
Critics of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s critics say the measures are further evidence of his authoritarian and anti-democracy approach to governing, which have already caused public demonstrations and raised concerns about stability in the country.
