AKP takes action for new social media regulation: 'It creates pressure on judges and prosecutors'

Following the targeting of social media broadcasts by Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) President Ebubekir Şahin, AKP officials have taken action.

It has been learned that AKP officials are planning to conduct a new study, stating that comments on social media, especially regarding judicial cases, create pressure on the judiciary.

According to a report by the Türkiye newspaper, known for its proximity to the government, AKP officials speaking at the Strategy Board Meeting pointed out that the spread of news and information containing disinformation on social media platforms is increasing.

In the aforementioned meeting, it was assessed that “A piece of information or news circulated on social media that is not true spreads 120 times faster than the truth. Once the information is revealed to be false, no one pays attention to the explanations or posts regarding the truth. False information receives thousands of views and spreads rapidly. Even if it turns out to be untrue, it is already too late. There is a multi-fold difference between the speed at which a lie spreads and the speed at which the truth spreads. If a lie gets 100 clicks, the truth gets 7-8 clicks.”

AKP sources stated, “In the face of any event, while there is no concrete situation yet, you suddenly see that someone has set up a social media court, conducted a trial, and carried out an execution. This is a very dangerous situation. No one calculates where the result of this will lead. We are facing results that we can almost call ‘extrajudicial execution.’ This situation also creates pressure on judges and prosecutors.”

WHAT DID EBUBEKİR ŞAHİN SAY?

RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin had also targeted social media broadcasts, saying, "In developed, democratic countries, no area can be unregulated and unsupervised. Neither can the broadcasting sector. Especially broadcasting done over the internet and social media channels must be within a regulatory framework. There cannot be an environment where everyone who picks up a microphone thinks they are a journalist or a reporter."

News Source: 12punto