Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun stated that "Social media can be instrumentalised for perception management operations by terrorist organisations and the adversaries of Türkiye to provoke masses during certain societal and political events through the dissemination of content and fake news aimed at inducing chaos."
The latest issue of the "Ayın Tarihi" (History of the Month) journal, released by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, focused on "Media and Justice in the Digital Transformation Process."
In his editorial for the journal titled "The Struggle for Justice and Truth in the Process of Digital Transformation," Head of Communications Altun explained that advancements in technology and information systems have accelerated and facilitated the processes of information collection, analysis, and transfer.
Head of Communications Altun stated that information law has emerged as a novel and independent branch of law, highlighting the shortcomings of traditional law in addressing challenges posed by such advancements.
Noting the difficulty of determining a framework for information law due to the dynamic structure of communication technologies, the Head of Communications Altun asserted, "It is possible to include in its scope various branches of law, such as the penal law regarding cybercrimes, computer forensics, e-commerce law, personal data protection law, electronic communication law, and internet law."
Head of Communications Altun underscored the necessity of developing and implementing an information law in Türkiye that aligns with the demands of the present era and stated:
"With its advanced communication technology infrastructure and young and educated population, our country has a higher percentage of social media users than the global average. Although this allows for faster, cheaper, and easier dissemination of information to the public in a manifold of fields such as politics, sociology, trade, education, culture, and art, it can also become a tool of manipulation to serve the intentions of malicious actors. Unfortunately, social media can be instrumentalised for perception management operations by terrorist organisations and the adversaries of Türkiye to provoke the masses during certain societal and political events through the dissemination of content and fake news aimed at inducing chaos.
Sadly, there have been numerous recent examples of attacks on our social, political, and economic lives. During the Gezi protests, in the fight against terrorism, and our cross-border military operations, we witnessed perception management operations where images utterly unrelated to Türkiye were associated with our country."
"Unverified information on social media should not be trusted"
The Head of Communications, Altun, stressed that the spread of information pollution through social media during crises and disasters can lead to dangerous consequences at the cost of human lives, as seen during the earthquakes that hit Kahramanmaraş. He stated that they witnessed efforts to undermine fair and transparent competition and democracy through manipulative lies, which hinder citizens from exercising their free will via social media during the general elections in 2023.
Head of Communications Altun said, "By advocating for the truth against all these malicious attempts, we have ensured that our country would successfully overcome these challenges."
Highlighting that they have taken all the measures against these malicious efforts, which are predicted to become more dire with the artificial intelligence, along with consolidating the necessary institutional infrastructure, the Head of Communications Altun stated, "While the activities of the Centre for Combating Disinformation, established within the Directorate of Communications, play a prominent role in this field, we adopt a holistic approach to make the truth known and widespread for both domestic and international audiences through our publications and events."
Head of Communications Altun noted that Türkiye, recognising the demands of the current era, fulfils its responsibility to take appropriate measures against cyber threats amidst the widespread global conflicts.
Emphasising the significant responsibility of states to mitigate the social harm that social media can inflict and to safeguard the individual rights of citizens in this field, in addition to the struggle for truth, the Head of Communications Altun highlighted that a key obligation of public authorities is to ensure that social media does not turn into a crime scene.
Stating that serious crimes can be committed on virtual platforms, whether consciously or unconsciously, the Head of Communication Altun indicated that acts such as insults, threats, and character assassinations, which are known to be crimes, can be perpetrated by people using their own accounts or fake accounts without hesitation, thinking that they are beyond the reach of accountability.
Head of Communications Altun highlighted that social media can create an environment susceptible to fraud and scams through various methods and arguments. He referred to the fraudulent tactic that claims credit card fees will be refunded by misusing the name of the Presidency's Communication Centre (CIMER) as an example.
Stating that the necessary measures were taken and citizens were warned that there was no such practice, the Head of Communication Altun said:
"However, the main thing is that everyone knows that unverified information, products, and individuals on social media should not be trusted. With Law No. 7253, "Amending the Law on Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Suppression of Crimes Committed by Means of Such Publications," known as the 'social media regulation', which was adopted and entered into force in 2020, the government made the necessary legislative arrangements to protect the rights of our citizens in the field of informatics as it has in other areas. The amendment mandates that specific social network providers must appoint a representative in Türkiye to facilitate the imposition of legal sanctions against any offence.
Head of Communications Altun emphasised their commitment to pursuing truth at the highest level, aiming to foster a communication environment that promotes fair and legitimate information sharing, just as in all other areas.