The Turkish government has imposed a "substantial" fine on Meta Platforms Inc. for failing to comply with requests to limit content, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a spokesperson for the company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. The exact amount of the fine was not disclosed.
"We pushed back on requests from the Turkish government to restrict content that is clearly in the public interest and have been fined as a consequence … Government requests to restrict speech online, along with threats to shut down online services, are severe and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves," the spokesperson said.
The fine follows a broader crackdown on information amid mass protests in Turkey, which has also targeted journalists from prominent media outlets. Earlier, social media platform X announced it filed an individual application with the Turkish Constitutional Court after the Information and Communication Technologies Authority demanded the deletion of 126 accounts during the protests.
