President of Turkey: social networks threaten democracy

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan He described social media on Saturday as one of the main threats to democracy.

The government of Erdogan considers promoting an initiative that penalizes the dissemination of “Fake news” and misinformation on the internet, although critics say the proposed changes could toughen restrictions on freedom of expression.

“Social networks, described as a symbol of freedom when they emerged, have become one of the main sources of threat to democracy today”, he pointed Erdogan in a video message addressed to a communications conference organized by the government in Istanbul. “We try to protect our people, especially the vulnerable sectors of our society, from lies and misinformation without violating the right of our citizens to receive accurate and impartial information.”.

Turkey passed a law last year by which it obliges social media platforms with more than one million users to have a legal representative and to store information in the country. Major social media companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have since opened offices in Turkey.

The new initiative could convert the dissemination of “disinformation” Y “fake news”In criminal offenses punishable by up to five years in prison, according to pro-government media. It will also create a regulatory authority for social media.

Most of the main Turkish media are under government control, making social media an important platform for dissenting voices.

The Freedom House report Freedom on the Net, released in September, classified Turkey as a country “without freedom“And highlighted the elimination of content critical to the government and legal actions against people who post comments that are” unpleasant “on social networks.

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