Vicious criminal organizations are just a 'click' away from our children in the digital space!

Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul MP, CHP spokesperson for the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Security and Intelligence Commission, and member of the Digital Media Commission Yüksel Mansur Kılınç has submitted a motion for a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the activities of criminal organizations on digital platforms, to identify the risks that threaten the psychological, social, and economic security of families and society—especially young people—on these platforms, to determine the measures necessary to eliminate these risks, and to establish practices that will promote digital literacy.

In the motion he submitted to the Speaker of the TBMM, Kılınç highlighted the following points:

'It is observed that organized crime groups in our country have been actively and widely using social and digital media in recent years.

Operations conducted by police units and information and testimonies in cases where members of criminal organizations are being tried indicate that these groups establish connections via social media, digital media, and mobile applications with individuals, particularly young people, who are involved in serious crimes such as drugs, extortion, looting, and murder.

Social media content prepared by members of criminal organizations, on one hand, portrays the leaders and members of these groups as enviable and acceptable individuals, while on the other hand, it creates the perception that the paths to status, money, weapons, and the luxurious lifestyle they provide lie in belonging to these groups.

While the manipulation-prone structure of social media increases the impact of the content designed by criminal organizations, members of these groups also exploit religious, national, social, or cultural values to further amplify the reach of their content.

It has emerged through the accounts of the family of the individual who killed two young women in Istanbul and then committed suicide by jumping from the Istanbul city walls that he spent all his time on the computer, watched digital content that encouraged violence, and obtained drugs through certain websites and social media channels.

It is a reality, also revealed by operations conducted by police units, that drugs have become available for home delivery via social media.

The rapid development of digital technology, the increase in social media usage, and the existence of legal loopholes and security vulnerabilities in the internet space provide an environment that organized crime groups can exploit. As a result, human and drug trafficking, money laundering, gambling, and all illegal activities have also become digitized.

All these developments lead to the widespread use of the concepts of "new generation mafia" and "new generation criminal organization".

Vicious criminal organizations in the digital environment are now just a "click" away from our innocent children. Making digital platforms, which cover almost every area of our lives, secure is of great importance for the safety and future of our society, especially for our children and young people.”