Meta fined significantly in Türkiye for defying content removal orders

A spokesperson told Politico that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has been fined a “significant amount” for failing to comply with Turkish authorities’ orders to restrict content.

Politico reports, “The Turkish government is ordering the suspension of social media accounts sharing information about widespread protests following the arrest of Istanbul [Metropolitan] Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival.”

“We pushed back on the Turkish government’s requests to restrict content that clearly served the public interest, and as a result, we were fined by them,” the spokesperson stated, declining to reveal the specific amount of the fine.

The spokesperson added, “The government’s demands to restrict online speech, alongside threats to shut down online services, are serious and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves.”

According to Meta’s transparency report, in 2024, the company received 5,677 content removal requests from Turkish authorities, with 4,199 originating from the BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority). The report indicated that Meta complied with 40% of these requests.

Conversely, Elon Musk’s company X, which largely adhered to the orders and suspended numerous accounts after the protests began, stated it was “fighting the Turkish government’s orders to protect freedom of expression.” This included appealing to the Turkish Constitutional Court regarding an order to block 126 accounts.

However, a document reviewed by Politico indicates that this particular order predates the recent wave of protests by several weeks.