Turkey has blocked access to the Meta-owned social media platform, Instagram, the Turkish Information Technology and Communications Authority (BTK) announced. It is not known why the Turkey’s internet regulator took the step, leaving millions of users in the country unable to access the platform.
Instagram is a popular platform in Turkey, with some 58 million users, constituting a significant portion of the country’s 85 million population.
While no official explanation was given, the ban follows recent accusation of Instagram being guilty of censorship by Communications Director for the Turkish presidency Fahrettin Altun, claiming that Instagram had blocked condolence posts related to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Ismail Haniye was killed in the Iranian city of Tehran on Wednesday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously been very critical of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
