A Turkish government bill expected to be introduced in parliament in the coming days would require identity verification for social media users, impose new age restrictions on accounts and allow faster removal of online content, the Kısa Dalga news website reported.
The proposal would require social media platforms to verify users’ identities through phone numbers or integration with the government’s digital services system. Account creation for children under 15 would be banned, while additional technical or biometric restrictions could be introduced for users under 18.
The reported draft also includes a mechanism that would allow authorities to order the rapid removal of content deemed illegal without waiting for a court ruling. Platforms that fail to comply with verification or removal requirements could face penalties including gradual reductions in internet bandwidth, a measure Turkish regulators have previously used to pressure social media companies operating in the country.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has defended identity-verification measures, saying anonymous accounts contribute to online harassment, defamation and attempts to influence judicial proceedings. Linking online accounts to verified identities would make users legally accountable for their posts, he said in televised remarks.
Rights advocates say mandatory identity verification could fundamentally alter the nature of online speech in Turkey. Kerem Altıparmak, a legal scholar with the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), said requiring all users to verify their identities would represent what he described as a “radical restriction” on internet freedom.
Altıparmak argued that applying identity verification universally in order to identify a smaller number of suspected offenders could lead to the closure of hundreds of thousands of anonymous accounts and raise questions about whether the measure is proportionate to its stated aims. He also warned that authorities would face practical challenges in dealing with anonymous accounts operated from abroad, saying that blocking all such accounts from access inside Turkey could significantly narrow the diversity of online discussion and isolate domestic users from global social media networks.
While noting that some countries have introduced child-protection rules governing minors’ social media use, Altıparmak said extending strict identity requirements to adult users could constitute a disproportionate interference with freedom of expression and privacy rights, potentially reshaping how social media platforms function within the country.
The full text of the proposed legislation has not yet been formally submitted to parliament.
Turkey has steadily expanded state oversight of the internet in the years following a coup attempt in 2016, introducing a series of laws that increased authorities’ powers to block websites, compel platforms to remove content, require social media companies to appoint local legal representatives based in the country and impose advertising bans or bandwidth reductions on companies that do not comply with regulatory orders. Rights organizations say the measures have significantly strengthened the government’s ability to control online content and pursue investigations related to social media activity.
