As Instagram Remains Blocked in Türkiye, Erdogan Accuses Social Media Companies of ‘Digital Fascism’

A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
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As Instagram Remains Blocked in Türkiye, Erdogan Accuses Social Media Companies of ‘Digital Fascism’

A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused social media platforms of “digital fascism” on Monday for allegedly censoring photographs of Palestinian “martyrs.”

The Turkish leader’s comments came as Turkish officials were engaged in discussions with representatives of the social media platform, Instagram, to reinstate access to millions of its users in Türkiye.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority barred access to Instagram on Aug.2 without providing a reason. Government officials said the ban was imposed because Instagram failed to abide by Turkish regulations.

Several media reports said however, that the action was in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. It was the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country which has a track record of censoring social media and other online platforms.

“They cannot even tolerate photographs of Palestinian martyrs and immediately ban them,” Erdogan said at a human rights event. “We are confronted with a digital fascism that is disguised as freedom."

Unlike its Western allies, Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terror organization. A strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Erdogan has described the group as a liberation movement

Erdogan went on to state that social media websites were allegedly allowing all kinds of propaganda by groups considered terrorists in Türkiye.

“We have tried to establish a line of dialogue through our relevant institutions. However, we have not yet been able to achieve the desired cooperation,” Erdogan said.

The transportation and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said Turkish authorities had met with representatives of the Meta-owned company last week and were holding a fresh round of talks on Monday.

Instagram has more than 57 million users in Türkiye, a nation of 85 million people, according to the We Are Social media company.

The Electronic Commerce Operators’ Association estimates that Instagram and other social media platforms per day generate about 930 million Turkish lira ($27 million) worth of e-commerce.



Video Game Performers Reach Agreement with 80 Video Games on AI Terms 

Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers picket outside WB Games Inc. offices on August 28, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers picket outside WB Games Inc. offices on August 28, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Video Game Performers Reach Agreement with 80 Video Games on AI Terms 

Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers picket outside WB Games Inc. offices on August 28, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers picket outside WB Games Inc. offices on August 28, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

After striking for over a month, video game performers have reached agreements with 80 games that have signed interim or tiered budget agreements with the performers' union and accepted the artificial intelligence provisions they have been seeking.

Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists began striking in July after negotiations with game industry giants that began more than a year and a half ago came to a halt over AI protections. Union leaders say game voice actors and motion capture artists’ likenesses could be replicated by AI and used without their consent and without fair compensation.

SAG-AFTRA announced the agreements with the 80 individual video games on Thursday. Performers impacted by the work stoppage can now work on those projects.

The strike against other major video game publishers, including Disney and Warner Bros.' game companies and Electronic Arts Productions Inc., will continue.

The interim agreement secures wage improvements, protections around “exploitative uses” of artificial intelligence and safety precautions that account for the strain of physical performances, as well as vocal stress. The tiered budget agreement aims to make working with union talent more feasible for independent game developers or smaller-budget projects while also providing performers the protections under the interim agreement.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator, said in a statement that companies signing the agreements are “helping to preserve the human art, ingenuity and creativity that fuels interactive storytelling.”

“These agreements signal that the video game companies in the collective bargaining group do not represent the will of the larger video game industry,” Crabtree-Ireland continued. “The many companies that are happy to agree to our AI terms prove that these terms are not only reasonable, but feasible and sustainable for businesses.”

The union announced Wednesday that game development studio Lightspeed L.A. has agreed to produce current and future games, including the popular title “Last Sentinel,” under the union's interim agreement, meaning it can also work with union talent as the strike persists.