The Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate is spearheading efforts to combat terrorist propaganda and disinformation, two issues that have plagued the country's online space. In coordination with the directorate, the cybercrime units of the Turkish police, prosecutors, and the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) have blocked online propaganda and disinformation campaigns targeting Türkiye.
Over the past seven months, authorities have imposed access bans on 6,644 social media accounts. Of these, 3,679 were linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and its affiliates, while 2,965 accounts promoting terrorism, disseminating disinformation, or engaging in psychological warfare were also blocked, according to a statement by the Communications Directorate. FETÖ was behind the July 15, 2016, coup attempt and made extensive use of social media both before and after the attempted coup to spread propaganda and disinformation against the government.
According to the Directorate, the X social media platform topped the list of platforms with the highest number of access bans, followed by Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify.
In its statement, the Directorate said terrorist groups and organized disinformation networks sought to manipulate public opinion, influence public perception, and create "information pollution" during periods of crisis, particularly by exploiting platforms with high engagement potential.
"The coordination mechanism is not limited to intervening against illegal content. Trending Topic (TT) lists, hashtag campaigns, coordinated sharing networks, and bot account activity on social media platforms are also monitored in real time using advanced digital analysis methods. Artificial agenda-setting efforts conducted as part of psychological operations are detected quickly, while the origin and dissemination patterns of these campaigns are identified through digital network analysis. Thanks to the simultaneous technical and legal processes carried out by the relevant institutions, coordinated influence operations are prevented from reaching large audiences," the statement said.
"Security sources state that digital platforms have become a battlefield directly affecting national security, rather than merely serving as a means of communication. They say that, through the coordinated efforts of relevant institutions, technical analysis, judicial proceedings, and access restriction measures are managed in a unified manner. As a result, not only individual accounts but also organized digital networks are identified and neutralized. The restriction of access to 6,644 accounts over the past seven months demonstrates that Türkiye has adopted a multilayered and coordinated approach to combating terrorist propaganda, disinformation, and psychological operations in cyberspace," the statement added.
