On Thursday, Turkey granted the Radio and Television Oversight Authority broad powers to oversee all internet content, including live streaming platforms like Netflix and news sites in a move that has raised concerns about possible censorship.
The Turkish parliament initially approved the move in March last year, with the support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its nationalist ally.
The law, published in the Turkish Official Gazette, requires all online content service providers to obtain broadcasting licences from the Broadcasting Regulatory Authority, which will then supervise the content provided by these companies.
In addition to the leading digital broadcasting company "Netflix", other platforms such as local broadcasters Boho TV and Blue TV, which in recent years have produced popular programs, will be subject to supervision and possible fines or withdrawal of their licenses.
In addition to subscription services such as Netflix, free news sites that rely on ads for revenue will be subject to the same procedures.
The law said it aims to "establish the methods and principles of regulating radio and television broadcasting services ... The granting of broadcasting licences to media service providers, the granting of broadcasting authority to platform managers and the supervision of the broadcast in question."
Decline in freedoms
He added that companies that did not comply with the law and the directives of the Radio and Television Authority would be given 30 days to modify their content in accordance with the required standards or would face the possibility of suspending their licence for three months and subsequently withdrawing it.
Thursday's announcement did not specify the criteria the Commission expects. A Netflix spokeswoman in Turkey said the platform is closely following developments and wants to continue to provide content to Turkey.
Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor and cybersecurity expert at Bilge University in Istanbul, said the move runs counter to turkey's recently announced package of judicial reforms aimed at addressing EU concerns about human rights degradation.
Akdeniz wrote on Twitter:"The law giving the Radio and Television Corporation the power to censor the Internet is in effect today... Soon, it may be possible to block access to Netflix or news sites that publish their content from abroad."
Critics have also expressed fears that the move could allow the government to tighten its grip on the media, which is largely under the influence of Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party(AKP).
Karim Altibarmak, a human rights lawyer, said this was "the biggest step in the history of Turkish censorship" and said websites that publish opposition news would be affected.
By Alexander James August 1, 2019
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