Turkey has ended a 9-day block on Instagram after the social media platform agreed to meet the government's demands for content regulation, according to officials on Saturday.
Turkey Blocked Instagram on August 2
Following Instagram's agreement to collaborate with authorities to address the government's concerns, Turkey said on Saturday that it had restored access to the social media network.
The social networking site was shut on August 2 by Turkey because it did not adhere to the country's "laws and rules" and was considered sensitive to public opinion.
A high-ranking Turkish source said that Instagram had removed condolence tributes in response to the murder of Palestinian militant group Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
An immediate cessation of hostilities is demanded by Turkey, which has condemned Israel's assaults on Gaza and criticized what it perceives as the West's unwavering backing of Israel.
CNA shares that users and small businesses that rely on the site to contact their clients were outraged by the nine-day restriction.
Turkey Has Over 57 Million Instagram Users
According to Statista, Turkey has over 57 million Instagram users, putting it sixth in the world after India, the US, Brazil, and Indonesia.
"As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block...after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users," posted Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, on X.
Murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, maltreatment, and torture are all considered cataloged crimes in Turkey.
"Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism," stated Uraloglu.
Meta Agrees to Comply with Turkish Laws
According to Uraloglu, Instagram's parent company, Meta, has committed to cleaning up its content and complying with Turkish legislation by removing any references to "terrorism propaganda" or specific criminal offenses.
Reuters was unable to reach Instagram for comment at this time.
"Live metrics show Instagram is being restored across Turkey's main internet providers after national restriction spanning nine days. This is the country's longest ban of a major social media platform in recent years," according to NetBlocks, an internet monitor.


Judge Dismisses Sam Altman Sexual Abuse Lawsuit, But Sister Can Refile
Apple Defies China's Smartphone Slump with Strong Early 2026 Sales
Alibaba Bets on AI Agents to Unify Its Vast Digital Ecosystem
U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down FTC Order Against TurboTax "Free" Advertising
Global Flight Cancellations 2026: Middle East Air Travel Chaos Explained
CK Hutchison's Panama Ports Dispute Escalates as Arbitration Claims Surpass $2 Billion
Valero Port Arthur Refinery Explosion Prompts $1M Lawsuit Over Worker Safety Negligence
Meta Ties Executive Pay to Aggressive Stock Price Targets in Major Retention Push
Microsoft Eyes Legal Action as Amazon-OpenAI Deal Threatens Azure Exclusivity
Cyberattack on Stryker Triggers U.S. Government Warning Over Microsoft Intune Security
Amazon's AWS Could Hit $600 Billion in Revenue as AI Reshapes Cloud Growth
Palantir's Maven AI Earns Pentagon "Program of Record" Status, Reshaping Military AI Strategy
Xiaomi's AI Model "Hunter Alpha" Mistaken for DeepSeek's Next Release
Elliott Investment Management Takes Multibillion-Dollar Stake in Synopsys
Delivery Hero Sells Taiwan Foodpanda to Grab for $600 Million in Debt-Reduction Push
OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ending $1 Billion Disney Partnership 



