The President of Turkey believes in the need to control the transfer of news and information in cyberspace and the Internet.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party, is furious with cyberspace and Internet-based media and has always complained about them.
He has recently stated that the dissemination of false news and information on various issues is not just an internal issue and a national security problem of countries. Rather, it has gone beyond this level and become a global security problem.
Speaking online at the Strategic Communications Summit (Stratcom Summit ’21) in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “Unfortunately, as social networks grow, we see more lies, fake news and misinformation at the moment, it is clear that the lives of millions of people have been darkened by the spread of such false news from some social networks that do not have an effective control mechanism.”
Erdogan went on to talk about issues such as the impact of information dissemination in cyberspace on real space: “The developed democracies of the world are always on the alert for the rise of digital fascism and fake news. This is not just an internal issue; it has become a global security issue.”
Demands from Turkey to major social networks
In Erdogan’s speech at the Istanbul Digital-Cyber ​​Summit, there were keywords and points that express an important part of his government’s approach to world-famous social networks. He said: “No individual or company, beyond its financial capacity and international standing, can go beyond the law. We will continue to fight resolutely on the basis of a free and fair communication mechanism, despite global networks finding themselves without accountability.”
This part of the Turkish president’s speech is in fact an implicit threat against Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix and brands that have resisted the opening of a representative office in Ankara and compliance with the demands of the Turkish government.
The Turkish government believes that the official and legal representatives of world-famous social networks in Ankara should be available 24 hours a day so that when a suspicious user takes action against government officials, he or she can be dealt with digitally. If there is a security problem, the necessary information should be provided to the authorities.
What is the ruling party of Turkey looking for?
The issue of the need to monitor cyber activities has become one of the main concerns of the AKP. In recent years, as the power of the presidency has been consolidated, Erdogan’s team has sought to establish a mechanism to control cyberspace.
Read more: Turkey is embroiled in an intertwined crisis: https://www.paksahafat.com/en/?p=16286
As a result, it seeks to move the issue of digital media and cyberspace into an anti-security issue by holding international conferences and meetings.
The following issues were discussed at a meeting held in Istanbul: Strategic communication, digital diplomacy, dealing with misinformation, crisis management, new media, the impact of algorithms on human life, public opinion polls and political communication will be the main topics of this meeting. But the president’s own remarks show that the party and security spheres are more important to Erdogan’s team than anything else.
Why is cyberspace so important in Turkey?
The Turkish people are often interested in political news, and until the economic crisis and the Corona pandemic took place, on average, more than 3 million copies of the newspaper were sold daily.
At the same time, there are several television networks, some of which had tens of millions of regular viewers. But in the last few years, the billboard has changed and now the news sections of most TV networks are left without customers. Why?
For a simple reason: Independent private television channels were bought by large companies and holdings affiliated with the ruling Turkish party, and now all of them, in their news sections and political and analytical programs, are accustomed to Akparti and Erdogan’s team.
Troublesome revelations
Many independent Turkish analysts and journalists in cyberspace, especially on Twitter and YouTube, have become one media outlet and have millions of followers and regular audiences. As a result, their speeches and analyzes are challenging the massive Acaparte media galaxy more rapidly and at no cost.
In addition to independent journalists and analysts, there are occasional revelations in cyberspace whose news and information have serious consequences for the Turkish authorities. For example, Sadat Packer, a fugitive from Turkey who was once a major supporter of the ruling party, posted several videos on YouTube that were viewed by more than 100 million people.
The revelations of Sadat Packer faced great problems and challenges for the powerful Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and in addition, dozens of journalists and political activists also faced problems and bought them away from their work and profession forever.