Turkey's government is set to engage in discussions with Instagram representatives following the recent restriction of access to the social media platform, as disclosed by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu on X. This action was precipitated by a high-ranking Turkish official's allegation that Instagram had obstructed condolence messages in the aftermath of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Uraloglu mentioned that Turkey had previously communicated specific concerns about adherence to Turkish legislation during a meeting with Instagram's representatives last week.
"Due to the Instagram block in Turkey, millions of individuals are now unable to maintain their daily connections with family and friends, and businesses can no longer engage with their customers as they once did," stated a Meta spokesperson, the company that owns Instagram. "We are committed to doing all in our power to reinstate our services."
Turkey's Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, criticized Instagram on Wednesday for what he described as "pure and simple censorship" regarding the platform's decision to suppress condolence posts for Haniyeh following his assassination in Tehran on July 31. Both Iran and Hamas have implicated Israel in the attack that resulted in Haniyeh's death just hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran's new president, though Israel has not acknowledged responsibility.
Turkey stands as the fifth-largest user of Instagram globally, with over 57 million users, trailing only India, the US, Brazil, and Indonesia, according to Statista. The access ban has sparked widespread protests on X, with Turkish hashtags such as "accessban, bringinstagramback, ecommercehalted" trending prominently since the ban.
Among the discontented is 34-year-old Basak, who manages a handmade jewelry design account on Instagram with over 30,000 followers, noting that the ban has severely impacted her business. "Some customers reached out to me via Instagram using VPNs and other social media platforms, but my opportunities to connect with new potential customers ceased immediately," she explained. "My sales have declined, and if this ban persists, it will be impossible for me to sustain my business, as I cannot reach a broader audience."
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring service, estimates that the Instagram access ban has inflicted daily economic losses of approximately $11.5 million on Turkey. The Turkish e-commerce businesses association ETID calculates that Turkish businesses earn around 900 million lira ($27 million) daily from Instagram, according to vice chairman Emre Ekmekci. Should the ban continue, a gradual migration of both sellers and users to alternative platforms is anticipated, he added.
"We are optimistic that the meeting will yield positive outcomes and that a resolution can be found. This issue is not solely political; it also has significant commercial ramifications."
