Turkey bans gay dating website, app Grindr

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Gay and bisexual male dating website Grindr has been banned by Turkey's Directorate of  Telecommunication (TİB) as a "protective measure" following a ruling by an Istanbul court.

Both the Grindr website and the mobile application have become inaccessible since the TİB implemented the decision of the 14th Criminal Court of Istanbul. The application can still be downloaded from the application store, but it is not properly accessible.

Hayriye Kara, a lawyer for KAOS GL, an LGBT association based in Ankara, said the court's decision was not published online, ultimately meaning that the reason for the censorship remains unknown.

The media coordinator for the association, Ömer Akpınar, has slammed the government, calling the  ban an "arbitrary limitation of freedom."

An online petition has been launched demanding Turkey repeal the order of the court blocking Grindr.

Osman Nihat Şen, deputy director of the TİB, rejected claims in a recent interview with daily Habertürk that the authority applies a blanket ban on LGBT websites while refusing to elaborate on the reasons for the censorship.