Two countries, two US internet services, two significant restrictions: In both Turkey and Russia there is a stir surrounding the photo platform Instagram and the video platform YouTube.
Setting: Türkiye: Since Friday last week, Instagram has no longer been functioning normally in Turkey. The platform could only be accessed from Turkey via protected network connections (VPN). The reasons and expected duration were not announced. However, observers suspect that the ban is related to expressions of condolence for Ismail Haniyeh, the killed foreign chief of the Islamist Hamas.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at online platforms following the blocking of Instagram in the country he leads. They practice “digital fascism” and behave like the mafia when it comes to their interests, Erdogan said at an event organized by his Islamic-conservative ruling party AKP. “We are confronted with a digital fascism that does not even tolerate photos of Palestinian martyrs and immediately blocks them and sells them as freedom,” he said. He accused the platforms of following the rules in Europe and the USA, but not when it comes to Turkey’s values.
Setting Russia: Meanwhile, in Russia, there have recently been increasing complaints that the video platform YouTube is only functioning to a limited extent.
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Several media outlets reported outages, citing the Sboj.RF service, which records reports of disruptions on websites. According to the service, complaints were reported mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also from other parts of the country.
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Image: APA/AFP/Bonaventure
Source: Nachrichten
