Turkey’s police and gendarmerie reviewed more than 600,000 social media accounts in 2025, identifying over 210,000 users for referral or further action, according to annual activity reports released by the two agencies, the BirGün daily reported.
The National Police Department reviewed 257,481 accounts as part of what it calls “virtual patrol” activities. Police identified the users of 162,298 accounts and referred them to judicial authorities.
According to the police report, the monitoring covered posts suspected of containing terrorist propaganda, promoting or facilitating the sale of illegal drugs, publicly inciting hatred or hostility and advocating for violence against women or animals.
Police also monitored posts considered insulting to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, threatening Turkey’s territorial integrity or public safety, insulting the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey or state institutions and violating laws protecting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
A total of 8,471 people were detained as a result of the monitoring. Of those, 496 were arrested pending trial, 1,360 were released under judicial supervision and 6,615 were released without such measures, according to the report.
The Gendarmerie General Command separately reviewed 342,699 social media accounts during 2025 and identified 47,936 users who were referred to the relevant bodies for further action.
Together, the two agencies reviewed 600,180 accounts and identified 210,234 users.
The figures represent a sharp increase over 2024, when the police and gendarmerie reviewed a combined 374,030 accounts and identified 122,264 users. The number of accounts examined rose by about 60 percent, while the number of users identified increased by approximately 72 percent.
In 2024 police reviewed 198,364 accounts and identified 86,170 users. A total of 3,317 people were detained, of whom 384 were arrested pending trial.
The gendarmerie reviewed another 175,666 accounts that year and identified 36,094 users for further action.
The data come amid longstanding criticism of Turkey’s restrictions on online expression and its frequent prosecution of journalists, politicians and ordinary social media users over criticism of public officials.
Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes insulting the president, carries a prison sentence of one to four years.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2021 that criminal proceedings brought under the provision were incompatible with freedom of expression.
The court said heads of state should not be afforded greater protection from criticism than other people and called on Turkey to bring the law into line with the European Convention on Human Rights. Turkey has yet to amend or repeal the provision.
Concerns over such prosecutions form part of criticism of Turkey’s restrictions on online expression.
Turkey was classified as “Not Free” in Freedom House’s “Freedom on the Net 2025” report, scoring 31 points out of 100. The watchdog cited criminal charges against social media users, the blocking of websites and accounts, content-removal orders and the throttling of social media platforms during protests.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
