Erdogan from Turkey says social networking is a ‘threat to democracy’ | Social Media Articles

President Erdogan says it is important to fight lies and deception within the “truth”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the social media on Saturday as one of the threats to democracy.

Erdogan’s government is planning to implement laws banning the spread of false news and propaganda on the Internet, but critics say the changes will tighten restrictions on free speech.

Erdogan said that when he first appeared, social networking was hailed as a symbol of freedom, but now it has “become one of the threats to modern democracy”.

“In this case, it is important to inform the public to deal with false and misleading propaganda within the truth,” he said.

“We strive to protect our people, especially the most vulnerable in our community, from the lies and slander that infringe on the rights of our citizens to receive accurate and impartial information.”

‘Unwanted’ comments

The former Turkish president has said the lives of millions of people are “hateful” because of such stories that spread from “ways without straightforward ways”.

Turkey passed a law last year requiring social networking sites with more than one million users to host legal and data-based Web sites. Major social media companies, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have set up offices in Turkey.

The new law makes it possible to publish “false” and “false news” punishments and up to five years in prison, according to state-run reports. It will also establish a social watchdog.

Many of Turkey’s largest media companies are in the hands of the government, leaving social networking sites as an important means of protest.

A Freedom House report on the Net, published in September, described Turkey as “free”, citing the removal of anti-government protests and the accusation of people posting “unnecessary” comments on social media.