ISTANBUL: Facebook has started the process of assigning a legal representative in Turkey to comply with a law governing social media companies, Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency said Monday.
The law, which passed in July, requires social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to maintain representatives in Turkey to deal with complaints about content on their platforms. Companies refusing to designate an official representative are subject to fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions that would make their networks too slow to use.
The local representative of social media companies would be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection. The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.
The law also requires social media data to be stored in Turkey, raising concerns in a country where the government has a track record of clamping down on free speech.
Turkish authorities have fined the social media giant at least 40 million Turkish lira ($5.3 million) for not complying with the request to assign a representative. Advertising bans for companies who have not complied are set to begin Tuesday.
Facebook will join LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Dailymotion and the Russian social media site VKontakte in setting up legal entities in Turkey. Facebook did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Amnesty International’s Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum tweeted the law undermines freedom of expression online in a country where independent media is already curtailed .
“The consequences of compliance for human rights are huge: companies would not be able to resist arbitrary blocking/banning requests, would be compelled to provide user data,” she said.
Facebook bows to Turkish demand to name local representative
https://arab.news/zsb58
Facebook bows to Turkish demand to name local representative
- Facebook said that if it faces pressure on those standards or the global process for reviewing government requests it will withdraw the representative
- Critics have said the law muzzles dissent from people who have turned to online platforms as Ankara has tightened its grip on mainstream media
Media ministry’s Konoz wins 6 gold awards
- “The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields
RIYADH: The Konoz Saudi Arabia initiative, one of the Ministry of Media’s programs, achieved a global milestone by winning six gold awards at the AVA Digital Awards for its documentary film “The Destination.”
Awards were given for documentary, film, editing, informational, cinematography and directing.
With the achievement, the film’s total awards since its release have risen to 13, in addition to receiving three international commendations, bringing the initiative’s overall tally to more than 50 local and international awards.
“The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields. The film highlights the steady and accelerated steps toward realizing Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s transformation into a global destination.
The documentary is currently available on the Shahid and stc tv platforms, in addition to being screened onboard Saudia flights. It combines creative footage drawn from trusted media sources covering events across the Kingdom with exclusive interviews featuring experts and specialists in the fields addressed by the film.
To date, the documentary has surpassed 10 million views across various platforms.
The AVA Digital Awards are among the most prestigious international awards, established in the US nearly 19 years ago. The awards aim to honor excellence in planning, directing, design and production across digital campaigns, audio and video production, website development, and social-media marketing and engagement.
