Draft regulation unveiled over social media platforms

ANKARA

Türkiye’s communication technologies body has unveiled a draft amendment to impose new operational requirements on major social media giants, which could, in certain cases, lead to access restrictions.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) published the draft regulation on its official website for public consultation, with an invitation to submit opinions by April 28.

Under the proposed framework, social media conglomerates such as Facebook, X, WhatsApp and YouTube will be mandated to establish a company within the country.

Apart from these, any platform with more than 1 million users in Türkiye will be subject to these regulations.

These entities must be either joint-stock or limited liability companies and will serve as fully authorized representatives under BTK’s licensing framework.

The regulation also mandates that any foreign-based company seeking to provide services in Türkiye must wholly own its local subsidiary.

The regulation further grants BTK additional oversight in cases concerning national security, public health, or public safety. In such situations, the authority could impose additional requirements, including potential access restrictions.

If enacted, social media companies will have until Jan. 1, 2026, to comply. Those failing to meet the requirements will face penalties, including bandwidth throttling and fines.

Unlicensed service providers could be fined between 1 million and 30 million Turkish Liras (between $26,300 and $789,000).

Companies that fail to pay fines and obtain authorization within six months of notification may see their internet bandwidth reduced by up to 95 percent.