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Meta is shutting down Threads in Turkey following injunction against data-sharing with Instagram
Meta is temporarily shutting down Threads in Turkey on April 29. This follows an injunction against data-sharing with Instagram.
Twitter limits access to some tweets in Turkey ahead of tightly contested election
On the eve of potentially one of the most consequential elections in the country’s history, Twitter began blocking posts in Turkey.
Twitter delays API changes again, this time 'by a few more days'
Twitter is once again delaying the rollout of its paid API. On Monday, the company said it needed a few more days to complete the redesign.
Turkey is reportedly blocking access to Twitter following devastating earthquakes
Twitter users in Turkey seem to have trouble accessing the service two days after catastrophic earthquakes struck the area.
Twitter creates an entity in Turkey to obey a social media law
Twitter has set up a legal body in Turkey to comply with a social media law, but there are concerns this might have consequences for privacy and freedom of speech.
Facebook bowed to demands from Turkey to block one of its military opponents
Forced to make a decision, the company prioritized staying online over objecting to censorship, new internal emails show.
Turkey orders Google to change its online ad strategy (updated)
Turkey has fined Google $25.6 million for allegedly abusing its ad dominance, and has given the company six months to make changes.
Twitter removes 170,000 state-backed accounts based in China
In its latest sweep, Twitter has removed 32,242 state-linked accounts with ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia and Turkey.
Wikipedia comes back online in Turkey after multi-year ban
Access to Wikipedia in Turkey has been restored after a nearly three-year ban, which saw the site blocked after it refused to remove content tying the country to terrorist groups. The ban, which was imposed by Turkey in April 2017, came about after it concluded that Wikipedia was running a "smear campaign" against the government. It subsequently leveraged a law that permits the banning of any website deemed a national security threat.
Turkey's first fully homemade car is an electric crossover SUV
Turkey has long been partly dependent on foreign automakers, but it's about to claim independence in a big way. TOGG, a consortium of Turkish companies, has unveiled an electric crossover SUV as the country's first fully homegrown car (outside of help from Italian design firm Pininfarina, that is). It won't be a modest undertaking, either. While the base options will provide a single 200HP rear-axle motor (good for 62MPH in 7.6 seconds) and a 186-mile range, you can spec it out to a 400HP dual-motor setup (0-62MPH in 4.8 seconds) and 300 miles of range.
Wikipedia wins its battle against censorship in Turkey
Two years ago, Turkey banned Wikipedia after the site refused to remove content tying the country to terrorist groups. That decision was reversed today in the nation's highest court, which called the ruling a violation of freedom of expression, and ordered the site to be unblocked. The timeframe isn't clear, but it's likely that Turkish citizens will soon be able to access the community-powered encyclopedia.
Turkey requires broadcast licenses for online media providers
Turkey is extending its internet clampdown to media providers. The country now requires that all online content companies obtain broadcast licenses from TV regulator RTUK, which will also watch over their content. If they run afoul of RTUK's rules, they'll have 30 days to alter their content or risk losing their licenses for three months, or indefinitely if they don't mend their ways. The move will dictate the content for both streaming services like Netflix as well as news outlets.
Facebook releases Messenger Lite for iOS in Turkey
Facebook's Messenger Lite has been available for the last couple of years, but only for Android. Until now, that is. TechCrunch reports that the company has now launched a version for iOS, but it's unlikely you'll be able to try it out just yet, since Facebook has only made it available in Turkey. The app was spotted by analytics firm Sensor Tower, which earlier this week, also discovered that Facebook had begun testing Facebook Lite for iOS in Turkey as well.
Turkey’s president calls for a boycott of US electronics
As tensions mount between the US and Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now calling for the country to boycott US electronics. He even called out the iPhone specifically -- a product he's often seen using. "Every product that we buy in foreign currency from outside, we will produce them here and sell abroad," Erdogan said during a speech given in Ankara, "We will boycott the electronics products of the US." He added, "If they have iPhone, there is Samsung on the other side. And we have our own telephone brands."
Turkey's president says Uber is 'over'
You might not want to count on hailing an Uber car in Istanbul any time soon. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed at a Ramadan dinner that the ridesharing outfit's business is "over" in the country, with the interior ministry reportedly giving "the orders." Uber currently runs under a license that costs much less than taxi plates (about $760 US instead of $360,000), but Erdogan argued that it was "not possible" to offer a taxi alternative with that lower-cost option.
A humanoid is born in a Turkish robotics factory
The Uncanny Valley posits that robots get exponentially creepier the closer they look to humans -- take Nadine the social robot, RealDoll and the Geminoids (please). However, a company called Akin Robotics in Turkey has proved that robots don't need to look like humans at all to evoke the "ugh" factor. It recently unveiled a new factory that will produce an Eyes Without a Face-like model that will surprise, delight and terrify visitors at airports and elsewhere.
Maybe private 'Black Mirror' messages weren't a good idea, Netflix
'Tis the season for ominous, intrusive internet promotional campaigns. Netflix has spooked users on a Turkish equivalent to Reddit, Ekşi Sözlük, by sending them promotional direct messages meant to hype up the debut of Black Mirror's fourth season. The messages from "iamwaldo" (a reference to Black Mirror season two's "The Waldo Moment") came in the middle of the night and sounded almost like a threat: "we know what you're up to," they read, "watch and see what we will do."
New ransomware is causing major issues across Europe and Russia
There's a new ransomware making the rounds today with confirmed targets in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Germany. Kaspersky Labs says that nearly 200 victims have been hit with the ransomware that's been dubbed Bad Rabbit.
Turkish court backs censorship of Wikipedia
When Turkey blocked Wikipedia last week, its co-founder Jimmy Wales promised to push for a judicial review of the online censorship. Today, however, Ankara's 1st Criminal Court of Peace rejected Wikimedia Foundation's appeal, saying that popular crowdsourced site contained entries that link Turkey to terrorist groups. The court ruled that since the "offending" Wikipedia pages remain on the site, it would not remove the country-wide block.
Turkey blocks Wikipedia over an alleged 'smear campaign'
Turkey may have just stepped up its efforts to quash online free speech. The country has blocked Wikipedia for supposedly running a "smear campaign" by allowing articles claiming that the Turkish government was coordinating with militant groups. The government says it will lift the restrictions if Wikipedia complies, but that isn't likely to happen unless there's proof the collaboration claims aren't true. Jimmy Wales and the Wikimedia Foundation are determined to protect truth in reporting, and that means posting articles that be less than flattering to politicians.
