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Turkey: the internet is more and more under control

In Turkey, the government is about to tighten its control over the internet. A law that came into force last week allows the government to censor the content of online audiovisual media, but also the video-on-demand platforms such as the giant Netflix.

Broadly speaking, this law obliges international video-on-demand platforms, but also television and radio stations that broadcast on the internet to obtain a license and, where this is not already the case, to open offices. in Turkey. This license, costing about $ 17,000, will be issued by the Superior Council of the Audiovisual after a review of the content broadcast, and may be suspended or revoked if the authorities believe that certain content does not comply with Turkish law.

The control will also extend to independent Turkish media broadcasting audiovisual content on the internet. For them, it is not only the end of the free diffusion, but especially the end of the editorial freedom they enjoyed until now.

Wobbly justifications

They put forward " the protection of national security and the moral order ". The most obvious and immediate effect of these new measures is that broadcasters of movies and movies on the internet will have to blur bottles of alcohol and cigarettes on the screen, but also censor all sorts of insults, as has been the case for years on television screens.

But this is not what worries the most opponents. According to them, the real risk of censorship concerns the online media which will now fall under the direct control of the Audiovisual Council, a body that is itself under the control of the government.

Independent media mainly targeted

In recent years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has managed to get hold of almost all traditional media, especially television channels, by arranging for businessmen close to power to buy the major media outlets. one after the other. On most channels, self-censorship has become the rule.

In response, a whole series of Turkish-language audio-visual media appeared on the internet - be it foreign media such as the German channel Deutsche Welle or the British BBC who opened a service in Turkish; Turkish media broadcasting from Turkey; or media created by Turkish journalists in exile who broadcast from abroad.

Until now, the power had very little control over these online media. From now on, they will be housed in the same boat as their traditional competitors. Their leaders and journalists fear being subjected to censorship of power. And even, for the most critical of them, to be outright banned from broadcasting in Turkey.

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