New law bans social media use for Turkish military personnel

A newly enacted law bans military personnel from posting on any social media platform while on duty across the country, at barracks or duty stations, and in cross-border operational areas.

This legislative move follows controversial TikTok posts made by Turkish military members earlier this year, which were detected before terrorist attacks on bases in Northern Iraq.

Subsequently, defense officials banned the use of smartphones in designated counterterrorism operation areas.

As an extension of this ban, a new omnibus bill concerning the military personnel law and compulsory military service regulations was approved by parliament in recent weeks.

The new measures, awaiting approval from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will come into effect once signed and published in the Official Gazette.

According to the law, military personnel are prohibited from disclosing their own or their comrades’ identities.