CPJ joins call for Turkey’s internet authority to protect end-to-end encrypted services

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 human rights, press freedom, and internet freedom organizations in urging Turkey’s internet regulator Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), to protect end-to-end encrypted services in light of recent legislation. 

In October 2022, Turkey’s parliament passed a 40-article bill that included amendments providing more detail about the existing obligations of social media companies and other online service providers, such as messaging apps. This included requirements for platforms with over one million users to open local offices and assign local representatives, allowing the authorities to prosecute them, and making it easier for Turkish authorities to access users’ personal data.

The statement underlined the need for security provided by end-to-end encryption in online communications and asked the BTK not to force companies who offer such services to “make the impossible choice between undermining the security of their users by building vulnerabilities into their systems or leaving the Turkish market.” Read the full statement here.

In 2020, Turkey fined several social media companies for not complying with the law.

Read CPJ’s Digital Safety Kit for journalists here.