#THE LAST BASTION 2018 LICENSE#
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It is thus concerning to imagine what might remain of liberal Netflix content under RTÜK surveillance. RTÜK is already infamous for censoring content based on an arbitrary understanding of morality, mostly focusing on cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and sexuality, while turning a blind eye to discrimination or displays of violence, especially against women. While the daily Sabah blamed it for “normalizing and deeming innocent pedophilia, homosexuality and child abuse”, the daily Akit argued the platform engaged in “moral terrorism”. This was because pro-government newspapers justified the new regulations by pointing to Netflix content. Over the last few months, after word got out that the government would attempt to regulate online broadcasters, public concern immediately centered on Netflix and the company’s future in Turkey.

As it is highly unlikely for pro-government members to be outvoted, RTÜK currently functions as an extension of the government’s will. The membership is reflective of the Grand National Assembly, with the governing party having the greatest number of members: Currently, the AKP has four RTÜK members while its coalition ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have two members each, and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has one. Every two years, three members retire and are replaced by the parliament. The Council is run by nine appointees of the Turkish parliament, each serving six-year terms. Ever since, it has singlehandedly decided what is appropriate, according to highly subjective cultural and national values, and has become notorious for imposing bans. The August 2019 regulation was therefore not needed to deal with crimes, but rather focuses on removing content deemed “unethical” by RTÜK standards.Įstablished in 1994, RTÜK’s initial duty was to allocate frequencies to national television channels and to regulate their broadcasts. According to a July 2019 report by the Freedom of Expression Association, this law was used to block over 245,000 websites and 150,000 URLs by the end of 2018. 5651) had already been in place for over a decade. A law dealing with criminal content in online broadcasts (the Law on the Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Suppression of Crimes Committed by means of Such Publication, widely known as Law no. Journalists, lawyers, and experts have expressed deep concern.

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However, the regulation’s vague language raises eyebrows as to its actual scope, which may range from professional broadcasters to amateur home video makers.

The apparent targets of the regulation are on-demand platforms such as Netflix, as well as regular and/or scheduled online broadcasts, such as the award-winning broadcaster Medyascope, that serve as critical sources of independent news in Turkey.

#THE LAST BASTION 2018 LICENSE#

It compels online broadcasters to obtain a license from RTÜK and subjects their content to state scrutiny. The related regulation came into force in August 2019. In an AKP-led move in March 2018, Turkey’s Grand National Assembly expanded the responsibilities of the country’s radio and television watchdog (the Radio and Television Supreme Council, known by its Turkish acronym RTÜK) to include internet broadcasting. Under these circumstances, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s decision to regulate online broadcasting – the one domain where it cannot (yet) control the narrative – should not come as a surprise. This is particularly true in a country like Turkey, where the quality of television has been eroded significantly and experienced journalists have brought quality journalism to their place of exile: the world wide web. Today, however, a relatively successful YouTuber can compete with major news programmes in terms of viewership. In the past, the television was the surest way of moulding people’s perceptions, shaping their opinions and sneaking into their lives.

The last bastion 2018