Turkey's new Internet law contradicts its EU ambitions
New Turkish legislation on the Internet stands in stark contrast with the democratic norms of the European Union.
The Turkish state has equipped itself with even more authority to monitor its Internet users, contradicting its new government's re-energized EU drive in a potential blow to democratic rights of free speech and privacy.
Just a week before the Turkish government announced its new “EU strategy,” which was featured prominently in its program, parliament approved a government-sponsored omnibus bill on Sept. 9.
The bill, quickly signed into law by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has two articles regarding Internet data rendition that made a huge change with a few touches to the existing legislation.
The older version of the law had stipulated that Turkey’s Telecommunications Directorate (TIB) must apply to a court within 24 hours and must receive a judiciary approval in 48 hours after blocking a website with an executive order.
