Meta announced it had been hit with a "substantial" fine for refusing to comply with Turkish government demands to restrict content on Facebook and Instagram.
Turkish government tried to suspend social media accounts sharing information on the widespread protests following the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
"We pushed back on requests from the Turkish government to restrict content that is clearly in the public interest, and have been fined by them as a consequence," Meta spokesperson said, declining to identify the scale of the fine.
"Government requests to restrict speech online alongside threats to shut down online services are severe and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves," Meta added in statement.
In 2024 Meta received 5,677 requests from Turkish authorities to remove content, 4,199 of which came from Türkiye's communications authority, Meta's transparency report said.
Meta heeded 40 percent of the requests, the report said.
The rights groups and journalists’ organisations also call on the Turkish government to cease pressuring online platforms to block content.
"Rather than simply accepting such blocking orders, we urge platforms to take all steps possible to limit their scope and duration, including by challenging their legality in court. Platforms should also be transparent towards affected users and the broader public about government requests for censorship and measures taken in response; and take all possible steps to maintain platform access in the event of shutdowns or throttling,"- their statement reads.
Plarform X issued a statement according to which it objected to ‘multiple court orders [...] to block over 700 accounts’, including those of news organisations, journalists, and political figures. On 26 March, X announced that they filed an individual application before the Constitutional Court challenging an order by Türkiye's Information Technologies Authority to block 126 accounts.
The European Commission has warned Meta that it may face daily fines starting 27 June if its modified pay-or-consent advertising model fails to meet EU antitrust requirements under the Digital Markets Act.
Meta has snapped up three star researchers from OpenAI's Zurich lab, escalating the fierce battle for top Artificial Intelligence talent as tech giants race to dominate the next era of artificial intelligence.
Meta has teamed up with Oakley to release AI-powered smart glasses, expanding its push into wearable tech after the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The social media company is expanding its partnership with Oakley and Ray-Ban-parent EssilorLuxottica.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has alleged that Meta Platforms offered signing bonuses as high as $100 million to OpenAI employees in an attempt to recruit top talent, underscoring the intensifying competition among tech firms for artificial intelligence expertise.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has launched a 'superintelligence' project to take artificial intelligence to a new level. According to Bloomberg, Zuckerberg is assembling an exclusive team of leading AI experts to create technology that surpasses human-level capabilities.
Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv on a farewell visit ahead of the end of his term on 6 August. He is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his stay.
Thousands of Iranians filled the streets of Tehran on Saturday to mourn senior military leaders and nuclear scientists killed in recent Israeli airstrikes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized the urgency of a U.S.-Iran agreement to prevent further regional escalation, pointing to ongoing diplomatic momentum following recent military tensions.
The UN has welcomed a U.S.-brokered peace deal between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, calling it a major step toward regional stability.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly denied reports suggesting his administration considered offering Iran $30 billion for a civilian nuclear program, calling the claims a “hoax.”
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
Severe rain in Venezuela has caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides, sweeping away homes and collapsing a highway bridge, with five states affected and no casualties reported so far.
The U.S. Embassy in Qatar has advised American citizens to shelter in place amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, as part of a broader global security alert issued by Washington.
In a televised address on Saturday night, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced that American forces, in coordination with Israel, had conducted precision strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, aiming to dismantle Tehran’s enrichment capabilities.
Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv on a farewell visit ahead of the end of his term on 6 August. He is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his stay.
Thousands of Iranians filled the streets of Tehran on Saturday to mourn senior military leaders and nuclear scientists killed in recent Israeli airstrikes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized the urgency of a U.S.-Iran agreement to prevent further regional escalation, pointing to ongoing diplomatic momentum following recent military tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly denied reports suggesting his administration considered offering Iran $30 billion for a civilian nuclear program, calling the claims a “hoax.”
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 28th June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv on a farewell visit ahead of the end of his term on 6 August. He is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his stay.
Thousands of Iranians filled the streets of Tehran on Saturday to mourn senior military leaders and nuclear scientists killed in recent Israeli airstrikes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized the urgency of a U.S.-Iran agreement to prevent further regional escalation, pointing to ongoing diplomatic momentum following recent military tensions.
The UN has welcomed a U.S.-brokered peace deal between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, calling it a major step toward regional stability.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly denied reports suggesting his administration considered offering Iran $30 billion for a civilian nuclear program, calling the claims a “hoax.”
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