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Freedom on the Net 2025

Turkey

Not Free
31
100
A Obstacles to Access 13 25
B Limits on Content 10 35
C Violations of User Rights 8 40
Last Year's Score & Status
31 100 Not Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Turkey_hero

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

While fewer internet users received long-term prison sentences for their online content during the coverage period, numerous restrictions on internet freedom persisted in Turkey. Access to social media platforms was throttled during protests, and authorities issued scores of orders to block websites and remove content. Online troll networks continued to amplify progovernment disinformation, and journalists, activists, and social media users faced criminal charges for the content they posted.

  • The government throttled internet access for one week amid violent demonstrations against the presence of Syrian refugees in Kayseri Province in July 2024.1 Authorities also throttled social media access for 42 hours during protests against the arrest of opposition presidential candidate and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March 2025 (A3 and B8).2
  • In August 2024, Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) blocked the social media platform Instagram for nine days. While the BTK did not provide an initial reason for the blocking, its decision came after reports that Instagram had removed posts from Turkish users who were mourning the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas (B1).3
  • Scores of social media accounts were blocked or suspended at the request of Turkish authorities during the coverage period. In March 2025, the social media platform X blocked the account of the independent media outlet Bianet, reportedly due to its coverage of the protests against İmamoğlu’s arrest. İmamoğlu’s X account was also blocked by the platform (B2).4
  • In March 2025, Turkish legislators passed the Cyber Security Law (Law No. 7545), which included provisions that could stifle free expression and privacy online. The law would give authorities broad access to any data stored in Turkey, provided they obtain a court order, and included criminal penalties for individuals who refuse to hand over personal information when it is requested by officials. The law also criminalized the spreading of false information about online data leaks, prescribing penalties of up to five years in prison (C2).5
  • Eight Kurdish journalists from the news agency Mezopotamya were each sentenced to six years in prison in July 2024 on baseless charges of participation in a terrorist organization (C3).6

header2 Political Overview

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose Justice and Development Party (AKP) has ruled Turkey since 2002, has become increasingly authoritarian over the past decade, consolidating power through constitutional changes and the imprisonment of political opponents, independent journalists, and members of civil society. The AKP has responded to recent economic challenges and municipal election defeats by intensifying its efforts to suppress dissent and limit public discourse.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 5.005 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 1.001 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 4 to 3 because authorities throttled internet access in Kayseri Province during violent demonstrations against Syrian refugees in July 2024,1 and because major social media platforms were rendered inaccessible for nearly two days in March 2025 amid opposition protests in Istanbul.2

A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 3.003 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 1.001 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 1.001 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 1.001 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 1.001 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 1.001 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 1.001 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 2.002 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 3.003 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 1.001 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 1.001 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 1.001 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 0 to 1 because fewer internet users received decades-long prison sentences for their online content than during the previous coverage period.

C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 1.001 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 1.001 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 2.002 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 1.001 3.003

On Turkey

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    84,980,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    33 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    31 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free

  • Networks Restricted

    Yes

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes