Turkey imposes advertising ban on Twitter, Periscope, Pinterest

The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access as they did in the past.

Twitter (REUTERS)

Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest under a new social media law, according to decisions published in the country's Official Gazette on Tuesday.

The law, which critics say will muzzle dissent, requires social media companies to appoint local representatives in Turkey. On Monday, Facebook Inc joined other companies in saying it would be appointing such a representative.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, said a month ago it had decided to appoint a representative.

The decisions in the Official Gazette said the advertising bans went into effect from Tuesday. Twitter, its live-streaming app Periscope, and image sharing app Pinterest were not immediately available to comment.

The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access as they did in the past. The move has caused concern as people turn more to online platforms after Ankara tightened its grip on mainstream media.

In previous months Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had faced fines in Turkey for not complying with the law. Companies that do not follow the law will ultimately have their bandwidth slashed by 90%, essentially blocking access.