New law bans social media use for active duty Turkish army personnel

ANKARA

A newly enacted law has prohibited military personnel from sharing social media posts on any platform while serving in barracks or at duty stations across the country and cross-border operation zones.

This legislative move came in the wake of TikTok posts made by Turkish military members earlier this year, which were identified prior to terror attacks on bases in northern Iraq, sparking controversy. Subsequently, defense authorities banned the use of smartphones in regions designated for counter-terrorism operations.

The Claw-Lock operations initiated in April 2022 are a series of Turkish counterterrorism efforts aimed at eliminating hideouts in Iraq's northern regions used by the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

As an extension of this prohibition, a new omnibus bill pertaining to military personnel statutes and conscription regulations was ratified in parliament in recent weeks. The new measures, now awaiting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s endorsement, will come into force once signed and published in the Official Gazette.

According to the law, military personnel are forbidden from disclosing their own or their comrades' identities.

Furthermore, soldiers are prohibited from sharing any military information, documents, location data or any media containing such content, including text, photographs, audio recordings and videos, within the scope of their duties or activities.

The banned platforms explicitly included "radio, television, internet, social media, newspapers, magazines, books and all other media outlets,” local media reported.

Additionally, the phrase "all forms of written, visual, auditory and electronic mass communication tools" comprehensively encapsulates all broadcasting domains under the prohibition. Personnel violating this directive will be subjected to "confinement to barracks" penalties.

The legislation, encompassing regulations beyond social media usage, also provisions the granting of pensions to military personnel who were retired due to lack of position but did not meet the age requirement for pension eligibility. Moreover, military academy students will soon receive foreign language instruction through a newly established unit within their institutions.