Turkey unbans Instagram after 9 days

After nine days, Turkey has restored nationwide access to the popular social media platform Instagram. In an official statement, the Turkish government has stated that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has agreed to cooperate with authorities regarding concerns surrounding the platform's role in filtering certain political and crime-related content.

Turkey blocked access to the social media platform on August 2 for failing to comply with the country's "laws and rules" and public sensitivities. A top Turkish official accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Turkey has denounced Israel's attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire and criticised what it calls unconditional support for Israel by the West. The nine-day ban triggered protests from users and small businesses who reach their customers through the platform.

Turkey ranks fifth in the world in terms of Instagram usage, with more than 57 million users, following India, the United States, Brazil and Indonesia, according to data platform Statista.

"As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block...after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalogue crimes and on censorship imposed on users," Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a post on X.

Catalogue crimes in Turkish law include acts such as murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, abuse and torture. "Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism," Uraloglu said.

Instagram parent Meta had agreed to comply with Turkish law and ensure efficient removal of posts and content if they carry elements of certain crimes or "terrorism propaganda", Uraloglu said.

Instagram was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

"Live metrics show Instagram is being restored across Turkey's main internet providers after national restriction spanning nine days. This is the country's longest ban of a major social media platform in recent years," Internet monitor NetBlocks said.