History of Turkey's Internet and Social Media Restrictions: From 2007 to the Present

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5651 and the First Restrictions Internet regulation mechanisms in Turkey, initially established to protect children and combat specific crimes, have evolved into a broad legal framework over time.
5651, enacted in 2007, formed the foundation of this policy.
Between 2008 and 2010, the YouTube platform was blocked more than 10 times, and access bans were issued for over 5,000 websites.
During this period, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) was granted the power to block sites without a court order, marking a new era in oversight processes.
Bandwidth Throttling and Long-Term Bans In addition to access bans, "bandwidth throttling"—a method that renders platforms dysfunctional by slowing down internet traffic—became a routine practice.
While global platforms like Twitter and YouTube were frequently restricted using this method, Wikipedia, the world's largest online encyclopedia, remained closed from 2017 to 2020 on "national security" grounds, recording one of Turkey's longest digital restrictions.
The Disinformation Law and Expanding Oversight The regulation enacted in 2022, popularly known as the "censorship law," took control over digital platforms to a new level.
Under this legal framework, access to popular platforms such as Wattpad, Discord, and Roblox was blocked, and 8,762 news articles were removed from publication.
As of 2025, the scope of oversight has expanded to include everything from corruption allegations to artistic content, affecting certain works on platforms like YouTube and Spotify.
New regulations expected to reach the parliamentary agenda are anticipated to further diversify existing oversight instruments.