Internet regulation in Turkey

Internet regulation in Turkey is primarily authorized under the Electronic Communications Law (ECL) and the Internet Act and carried out by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA).

Turkey's internet, which has 42.3 million active users, holds a 'Not Free' ranking in Freedom House's index. Turkish government has constantly blocked websites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and as of May 2017, is currently inaccessible. According to Twitter's transparency report, Turkey leads in social media censorship.

Turkey considers itself a democratic country with a Prime Minister as the head of the government. Its political system is based on the separation of powers. Specifically, the executive branch consists of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

Aside from the traditional structure, certain public institutions are formed to regulate and execute specific duties. These institutions are classified as “regulatory authorities (RA)” and some of them have a sector-specific focus; "regulatory and supervisory authorities are established in order to regulate and monitor different types of markets in accordance with the requirements of a functioning market economy."

Some relevant regulatory authorities in Turkey are "the Competition Authority, the Energy Market Regulation Authority, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Authority, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, and the Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Alcoholic Beverages Market Regulation Board."

The Telecommunications Authority was established by means of the Law 4502, dated 29 January 2000. This Law addressed the responsibilities of the Ministry of Transport, among others, and "separated policy-making and regulatory functions of the government by establishing an independent telecommunications regulatory body, the Telecommunications Authority, as the first sector specific regulator in Turkey. As a result, regulatory functions of the Ministry of Transport were transferred to the Authority in principle, and the General Directorate of Radiocommunication, a government body in charge of radio frequency management under the Wireless Law (Law 2813, 7 April 1983), was abolished and all of its functions were transferred to the Telecommunications Authority."

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Wikipedia