Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that social media is a “threat to democracy” Social Media News

President Erdogan stressed the importance of fighting disinformation and propaganda “within the truth.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday described social media as one of the main threats to democracy.

Erdogan’s government plans to draft a law to prosecute the spread of fake news and misinformation on the Internet, but critics say the proposed changes would tighten restrictions on free speech.

Erdogan said that social media was first considered a symbol of freedom when it was first created, but now has become “one of the main threats to today’s democracy.”

“In this regard, it is important to inform the public to fight misinformation and propaganda within the truth.”

“We try to protect people, especially the most vulnerable, from lies and misinformation without violating the right of our citizens to receive accurate and impartial information.”

‘Undesirable’ comment

For a long time, the Turkish president said that such reports from “channels with no effective control mechanism” “darken” the lives of millions of people.

Last year, Turkey passed a law requiring social media platforms, which have more than a million users, to have a legal representative and information in the country. Major social media companies, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, have since set up offices in Turkey.

According to pro-government media, the new legislation will punish the spread of “misinformation” and “fake news” crimes with up to five years in prison. It will also create a social media regulator.

Most of Turkey’s major media companies are controlled by the government, leaving social media as an important tool for opposition voices.

A Freedom House report published on the Internet in September described Turkey as “not free,” removing content critical of the government and harassing people who made “undesirable” comments on social media.