Türkiye Blocks Instant Messaging Platform Discord

Street vendors sell corn and traditional Turkish backeray "Simit" as people pass by their stands in the Eminonu district of Istanbul on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
Street vendors sell corn and traditional Turkish backeray "Simit" as people pass by their stands in the Eminonu district of Istanbul on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
TT
20

Türkiye Blocks Instant Messaging Platform Discord

Street vendors sell corn and traditional Turkish backeray "Simit" as people pass by their stands in the Eminonu district of Istanbul on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
Street vendors sell corn and traditional Turkish backeray "Simit" as people pass by their stands in the Eminonu district of Istanbul on August 30, 2024. (AFP)

Türkiye has blocked access to instant messaging platform Discord following a court decision, the country's infotech regulator said on Wednesday.

Türkiye’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) published the access ban decision on its website.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said a court in the capital Ankara decided to remove access from Türkiye to San Francisco-based Discord due to sufficient suspicion that the crimes of "child sexual abuse and obscenity" have been committed.

"We are determined to protect our youth and children from the harmful publications of social media and the internet that constitute crimes. We will never allow attempts to shake the foundations of our social structure," Tunc also said in a post on X.

The access ban decision comes after public outrage caused by the murder of two women, perpetrated by a 19-year-old man earlier this month.

Following the incident, content on social media showed some users of Discord were praising the killing which led to public outrage against certain communities on the platform.

On Tuesday, Russia's communications regulator blocked Discord for violating Russian law, after previously fining the company for failing to remove banned content, the TASS news agency reported.



KACST Manufactures 25 Advanced Electronic Chips by Saudi Talents

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
TT
20

KACST Manufactures 25 Advanced Electronic Chips by Saudi Talents

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced on Thursday its successful design and fabrication of 25 advanced electronic chips, developed by Saudi talents in its cleanroom laboratories for purposes of training, research, and development.

The achievement is part of KACST’s ongoing efforts to support and enable the semiconductor ecosystem in the Kingdom.

These chips are distinguished by their versatility and can be used in a range of applications, including electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications, integrated circuits, energy-efficient lighting, micro-sensor systems, as well as industrial and research applications in measurement and testing.

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. This effort was conducted under the initiatives of the Saudi Semiconductors Program (SSP), which aims to build national expertise in this critical field.

The chips can be used in a range of applications. (SPA)

This milestone is part of a series of strategic initiatives led by KACST to support the semiconductor sector in the Kingdom, including the Saudi Semiconductors Program to boost research and development and qualify human talent and the "Ignition" semiconductor incubator program to support startups and entrepreneurs.

Through these initiatives, KACST underscored its commitment to the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by localizing strategic technologies, empowering national talent, and achieving technological self-sufficiency in advanced domains.