Transport minister calls Instagram ban process ‘dynamic,’ aims to prevent future issues

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu made critical statements during an interview on the Turkish news channel TGRT Haber, addressing key issues related to access bans on Instagram and Roblox.

Uraloglu provided insights into the ongoing measures against these platforms.

‘Dynamic’ nature of Instagram ban talks

Uraloglu described the talks with Instagram as “dynamic” but stressed that they aim to avoid future issues. He emphasized that Türkiye remains in constant communication with Instagram, noting that eight social media platforms currently have representatives in the country.

Clarifying Türkiye’s approach to social media regulations, Uraloglu stated that full shutdowns are not common, and instead, measures such as throttling access or imposing advertising bans are more typical.

He explained, “When there are violations, we implement the sanctions we’ve discussed. In the case of the Instagram ban, we issued warnings related to catalog crimes. Since these were not addressed, we enforced an access restriction. There were additional concerns as well. If companies have rules, countries have their users.”

Instagram most popular in Türkiye

Highlighting that Türkiye has 60 million social media users, Uraloglu pointed out that Instagram is the most popular platform in the country.

He added, “We had sensitivities regarding Ismail Haniye as well. It wouldn’t be correct to say we achieved all our goals. However, we are not as restrictive or prohibitive as social media platforms. Instagram has largely complied with our requests.”

Parents express gratitude for Roblox ban

On the topic of Roblox, Uraloglu mentioned that discussions are ongoing, with a different course of action being pursued.

He noted, “This decision introduced me to the game Roblox. I reviewed the decisions and examined the visuals, which raised concerns about the welfare of our children. We implemented the ban within four hours. Parents expressed their gratitude, saying, ‘We couldn’t stop it, but you did.’”