While asking if Instagram will be reopened, it too might be shut down
Sözcü newspaper has called on the government to 'stop the disgrace' on TikTok. The AKP chair of the Turkish Parliament's Digital Channels Commission also stated, 'our people want it shut down.'
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As the Instagram ban enters its 6th day, the question of "when will it be reopened?" asked in the early days of the ban has now been joined by the question of whether TikTok will also be shut down.
The TikTok application, which is based on a system of sharing short videos and conducting live broadcasts, had previously come to the agenda due to security vulnerabilities created when soldiers on duty broadcasted during their shifts at critical locations.
Today, Sözcü newspaper featured TikTok on its front page due to a popular trend. The newspaper, which ran the headline "We are calling out to the Minister of Transport who shut down Instagram: Stop this disgrace," expressed its reaction to videos on TikTok showing people hugging Atatürk, created via artificial intelligence.
Emphasizing that this trend, which includes content of hugging and dancing with Atatürk, is disrespectful to the memory of the Founder, the newspaper asked, "Why don't those who shut down Instagram for the Hamas leader take action?"
The interesting part is that the newspaper, which actively uses TikTok and has nearly 96 thousand followers, points to TikTok as a whole rather than just the accounts participating in the trend in question.
'IF YOU SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN, YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN'
This was not the only notable statement regarding TikTok today. Hüseyin Yayman, Chairman of the Turkish Parliament's Digital Channels Commission and AKP Hatay Deputy, said, "The TikTok issue is a national security matter for Turkey. The posts made are so strange, so detached from reality, that it is impossible to approve of them. As a commission, we do not have a stance on shutting down TikTok or imposing an access ban; that is the stance of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). But if you ask me as the commission chair, politics is done with the people. Our nation wants TikTok to be shut down."
Noting that citizens he encountered in Hatay, Ankara, Adana, Mersin, and Istanbul have complained about TikTok, Yayman said, "I do not use TikTok. People who see me on the street say, 'If you shut down this TikTok, you will open the gates of heaven.' There is a very significant number of criticisms and complaints about TikTok. Unfortunately, TikTok is playing devil's advocate, and TikTok posts have now turned into an object of hatred in society. I do not see it as a space of freedom for people of age to make posts there and engage in very irrational, absurd behaviors and awkward posts to create awareness. I see this as a complete departure from human values, not local and national values, but a total break from universal values and a great alienation. It is impossible to accept these. I want to call out to TikTok's Turkey representatives and global network providers once again; I never accept what TikTok is doing. I never approve of these posts, and like the rest of society and our nation, I expect TikTok to adopt a broadcasting policy that is in line with Turkey's moral values, ethical values, traditions, and customs, starting with its community guidelines."
TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE COMMISSION ON TUESDAY
In his statement to SÖZCÜ TV, Yayman said, "We will discuss TikTok on Tuesday. This is the demand of the citizen; I have become the voice of the citizen's words."
On the TikTok program, where sketch-style videos are predominant, videos in which people from lower-income groups criticize the country's economic situation with a humorous language stand out.