Türkiye blocks access to social media platform Discord

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday blocked access to social media platform Discord, which has recently served as a digital medium for some criminal elements in the country to pursue illegal ends, officials told Anadolu.

Discord recently made headlines in Türkiye with the murder of two young women and related issues, according to information from the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) shared with Anadolu.

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara also took action due to sufficient suspicion that crimes of “sexual abuse of children and obscenity” were committed on the platform.

Responding to a prosecutor’s application, the Ankara 1st Criminal Judicature of Peace decided to block access to Discord, taking into account the evidence.

The application said that an investigation was initiated on Oct. 5 over claims social media posts on Discord were used to commit bullying, especially targeting minors.

Some members went further and took photos and videos of the private part of children around them and posted them in groups, and some members blackmailed young children to take nude images of themselves and shared these images in groups.

The investigation found a large amount of content containing child sexual abuse, blackmail, and obscenity on Discord.

Stating that detention procedures were initiated against suspects in the investigation, the application cited a report by the Security Directorate General’s Cybercrime Division.

The report said: “It has been observed that such groups can reinforce identity confusion by manipulating the processes of shaping the sexual identities of children and young people, and as a symbol of rebellion against society, they also generate income through blackmail and tracking numbers in these channels, and make satanism look attractive because they find a way to make easy money.”

The application said Discord was considered to be a platform that causes the abuse of children, encourages violence, and disrupts public order.

After the court decision was communicated to the BTK, the authority suspended access to the Discord app from Türkiye; only the relevant court can lift the decision.

- Discord does not share information with officials

Citing the decision, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, the transport and infrastructure minister, said on Wednesday that Discord is a completely closed-circuit system, as nobody can enter and exit as they wish.

Türkiye's security units cannot make inquiries there, he said, but can intervene only when people who use it complain to officials.

Since Discord refused to share its own information, including IP addresses and content, with security units, Türkiye blocked access by force, he added.