Director of Communications Altun said: "As one of the countries most exposed to disinformation in the world, our fight against disinformation will continue with tenacity and without compromise."
In a statement on his social media account, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun, noting that there had been an interesting development in the field of media and communication, reminded that Twitter made the decision to withdraw from the "2022 Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation" protocol, which was signed between the European Union and social media platforms.
Stating that some public authorities in European countries began to express their discomfort with this situation, Director of Communications Altun emphasised that it would be beneficial to remind both the national and the international public of Türkiye's attitude and stance during this period.
Indicating that necessary regulations were made in many fields, from online journalism to the protection of children in the digital environment, and that "overt dissemination of information misleading the public" was designated as a crime with Law No. 7418 on the "Amendment of Press Law and Certain Laws" passed in 2022 in Türkiye, Director of Communications Altun said that it was clearly stated in the relevant article of the Turkish Penal Code that "anyone who overtly disseminates false information about the internal and external security, public order and public health of the country, in a manner conducive to disturbing the public peace, exclusively with the purpose of creating distress, fear or panic among public" would be punished.
Also, reminding that in accordance with Law No. 7418, foreign social network providers with more than one million daily accesses from Türkiye are required to designate a representative, respond positively or negatively to applications made by individuals no later than 48 hours after the application, and submit reports in Turkish containing statistical and categorical information in 6-month periods, Director of Communications Altun continued:
"Disinformation, in its current form, has become a threat that affects all countries and the entire international community, in addition to the national and regional threats it poses to us. International cooperation and determination are unquestionably important pillars of the fight against disinformation. In this context, I call on all relevant platforms, institutions, and organisations to recognise the reality of disinformation and the importance of international cooperation in combating it and to take appropriate action without applying double standards."
"We would be delighted to share our experiences with our Western friends"
Director of Communications Altun recalled that French Minister for Digital Transition and Telecommunications Jean-Noel Barrot announced last week that Twitter would be banned if it did not clearly and openly comply with the rules and said:
"We fully understand the Minister's concern about public order. What we do not understand is why our Western counterparts dismiss our concerns about the public order in Türkiye. Today, we do not want any social media platform to become a disinformation centre, as do EU officials. However, we are fighting against not only social media companies that appear neutral but are intervening in Turkish politics with bias, but also against Western states that are attempting to thwart our efforts to regulate digital communication platforms in Türkiye for public order.
Our European friends should know that we regard it as our primary responsibility to eliminate all types of destructive activities that polarise society, particularly disinformation, as well as to combat repressive and tutelary mindsets. We would be delighted to share our experiences with our Western friends. I would like to reiterate that in accordance with our President's vision of advocating the truth and fighting against disinformation, we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect our citizens' rights and remedies. As one of the countries most exposed to disinformation in the world, our fight against disinformation will continue with tenacity and without compromise."