Prominent opposition politicians and journalists in Turkey have accused social media platform X of suppressing dissenting voices through unexplained declines in follower counts and post visibility, raising concerns over potential “shadow banning” and digital censorship, the Kısa Dalga news website reported.
The controversy gained urgency after Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of İstanbul and the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said his official accounts were repeatedly restricted on X.
İmamoğlu, widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest challenger, referenced the issue in a public post, accusing the platform of applying shadow bans. “No obstacle will stop this nation. The nation doesn’t heed shadow bans. This account entrusted to the people will grow and advance,” he wrote.
A Turkish court had earlier ordered the blocking of his presidential campaign account, prompting criticism over digital interference in political discourse.
Sırrı Sakık, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), reported losing 20,000 followers within days. “Is this really about cleaning up bots, or is it censorship under another name?” he asked, tagging X’s Turkey office.
Political scientist Mete Gündoğan also alleged algorithmic suppression. “They say it’s bot removal, but they’re deleting our real followers,” he wrote. He was echoed by Professor Hasan Ünal and journalist Çiğdem Toker, who both described similar declines in engagement.
X has been conducting a platform-wide crackdown on bot accounts since October, a move the company says is aimed at improving authenticity and user experience.
While X has previously pushed back on some Turkish government content takedown requests, it has also complied with court orders, including those targeting political accounts. Elon Musk, who acquired the platform in 2022, has cultivated a cooperative stance with various governments, including Erdoğan’s, fueling criticism from digital rights advocates.
No independent audit of X’s moderation or algorithmic behavior in Turkey has been conducted.
