Image by Ivan Radic, from Flickr
Turkey Blocks Discord After Court Cites Suspected Crimes On Platform
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Turkey blocked Discord after the platform refused to share information with authorities.
- Ankara court cited suspicion of “child sexual abuse and obscenity” for the Discord ban.
- The ban followed posts praising a man who killed two women, sparking social outrage.
Turkey has blocked access to the messaging platform Discord, following a court decision after the company refused to share information requested by Ankara, Turkish authorities said on Wednesday, according to Reuters .
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc stated that an Ankara court blocked Discord in Turkey based on suspicion that crimes of “child sexual abuse and obscenity” had been committed by users on the platform, Reuters reported.
The ban came after posts surfaced on Discord praising a young man who had killed two women earlier this month. The incident triggered outrage on social media and renewed calls for stricter regulations, Bloomberg noted.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu pointed out that Discord’s nature made it difficult for authorities to monitor and intervene when illegal content is shared, Reuters said.
“Security personnel cannot go through the content. We can only intervene when users complain to us about content shared there,” he told reporters in parliament, as reported by Reuters.
“Since Discord refuses to share its own information, including IP addresses and content, with our security units, we were forced to block access,” Uraloglu added, according to Reuters.
Turkey has a history of swiftly restricting access to websites, previously blocking platforms such as X, YouTube, and Facebook, Bloomberg reported.
In August, Turkey banned the video game platform Roblox, citing harmful content for children, and also blocked Instagram for several days.
This restriction comes after Russia blocked Discord on Tuesday. According to TASS , Russian authorities stated:
“The access to the Discord is being restricted in connection of violation of requirements of Russian laws, compliance with which is required to prevent the use of the messenger for terrorist and extremist services, recruitment of citizens to commit them, for drug sales, and in connection with unlawful information posting.”
Last week, Reuters reported that Russia had ordered the deletion of about 1,000 items from Discord, including content related to child pornography, extremism, and pro-drug messaging. The Moscow Times (TMT) reported that Discord failed to comply with the order.
In a statement on its website Tuesday, Discord acknowledged it is “aware of reports of Discord being unreachable” in certain countries and is actively investigating the matter.
Photo by Adarsh Chauhan on Unsplash
U.S. Government Considers Forcing Google to Break Up in Antitrust Case
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- The U.S. Department of Justice shared a document outlining remedies to combat Google’s monopoly
- Forbidding Google from using Chrome, Android, and Play is among the suggestions
- Google considered these “radical changes” and plans to appeal in court
The government of the United States is considering asking a judge to force Alphabet—Google’s parent company—to sell off parts of its businesses, like the Android operating system and Chrome browser, as part of the solution to combat Google’s search monopoly.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) shared a framework document yesterday with potential remedies to reduce Google’s power, create more opportunities for creators, and reshape the way Americans access online content.
The DOJ proposes actions in four areas to regulate “Google’s illegal conduct”: search distribution and revenue sharing, accumulation and use of data, generation and display of search results, and advertising scale and monetization.
“For more than a decade, Google has controlled the most popular distribution channels, leaving rivals with little-to-no incentive to compete for users,” states the document regarding search distribution and revenue sharing. “Plaintiffs are considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features.”
The Department of Justice suggests also prohibiting or limiting Google’s contracts with other businesses and using or retaining data. According to Reuters , Google has made large payments— $26.3 billion in 2021—to companies like Apple and other manufacturers to remain people’s first search engine option.
A few hours after the DOJ shared the document, Google shared a public statement saying that the institution had published “radical changes” that “go far beyond the specific legal issues in this case.”
Google plans to appeal in court next year but warned that the measures proposed by the government as it considers that will harm businesses, consumers, and developers.
Italy’s Antitrust Agency has also announced an investigation against Google and Alphabet regarding unfair commercial practices and use of citizens’ data. Other companies, like Epic Games, have filed lawsuits against Google for anti-competitive practices.
