SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that social media is one of the main threats to democracy.
“Social media, which was described as a symbol of freedom when it first appeared, has turned into one of the main sources of threat to today’s democracy,” Erdogan said in a video message to a government-organized communications conference in Istanbul, according to AP.
“We try to protect our people, especially the vulnerable sections of our society, against lies and disinformation without violating our citizens’ right to receive accurate and impartial information,” he added.
Turkey passed a law last year requiring social media platforms that have more than 1 million users to maintain a legal representative and store data in the country, The Associated Press reporter.
Major social media companies, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, have since established offices in Turkey.
The new legislation would make the dissemination of “disinformation” and “fake news” criminal offenses punishable by up to five years in prison, according to pro-government media reports. It also would establish a social media regulator.
