Discord banned in Turkey: Public concerns and government crackdown

The Turkish government has decided to ban Discord, a platform for organizing group video chats, due to its links to crimes. This decision was made by the 1st Criminal Court of Ankara and was enforced by the Turkish Information Technology and Communication Authority (ITC).

The reasons for the ban are mainly related to criminal activities by some groups on the platform. Among these activities, cases of violence, harassment and sexual assault against children and women have been identified. Public outcry over crimes committed by certain groups, including the recent proliferation of posts praising and praising the killing of two 19-year-old women, also led to the platform's ban. In addition, there are reports that two young men on this platform have been leading gangs that sexually harass children.

Turkish Minister of Justice Yilmaz Tunç said that harmful content on the platform poses a threat to the mental health of young people and children. Also, the government is applying these strict measures to prevent the violation of the foundations of society and to protect the youth from their harm.

These measures have also caused heated discussions in international circles, because a while ago this platform was also banned by Russia for some reasons. In Turkey, this situation aroused strong opinions in various mass media and the public.

FYI, Discord was also blocked in Russia yesterday, October 8th. Roskomnadzor cited non-compliance with the requirements to restrict access to illegal information posted on the platform. Discord has been fined twice this year for failing to comply with requirements to remove content banned in the Russian Federation.