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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned on Thursday that Türkiye’s newly approved cybersecurity bill could undermine press freedom by criminalizing legitimate reporting and granting the government extensive surveillance powers over cyberspace.
The CPJ criticized the new law for imposing a prison sentence of two to five years for any individual who “knowingly creates or spreads ‘false’ content claiming that there is a cybersecurity data leak ‘in order to create anxiety, fear, and panic among the public, or to target institutions or individuals.'”
The rights group explained that the vague language of the provision could hinder journalistic work and criminalize legitimate reporting on cybersecurity incidents unless such incidents are confirmed by official sources.
CPJ’s Turkey Representative Özgür Öğret stated:
The cybersecurity bill established two new entities, a cybersecurity authority and a cybersecurity commission, both of which will have access to any digital information within the country, subject to court approval. Additionally, the bill created a cybersecurity board to oversee the implementation of the law. This board will comprise government officials, including the president and several key ministers, such as the minister of justice, the minister of the interior, the minister of defense, and the intelligence chief.
The Turkish Parliament passed the controversial cybersecurity law on Tuesday in response to a report by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) in 2024, which revealed that the personal data of millions of Turkish citizens had been stolen from government servers. While the government stressed that the new bill aims to enhance national security by implementing mechanisms for a safer cyberspace and protecting technological infrastructure, rights groups and opposition leaders have expressed concerns that the bill could threaten freedom of speech and journalism, as well as grant excessive powers to executive bodies, potentially leading to abuse of power.
Prior to the law’s discussion in parliament, the Turkish Journalists Association warned that approval of the proposed cybersecurity bill would impede press freedom and pose risks to privacy rights. They urged the government to reform several articles to align with the fundamental rights and freedoms outlined in the constitution.
Turkiye has previously faced criticism for misusing controversial legislation that grants restrictive powers to government officials aimed at targeting civil society activists and journalists. In 2024, 81 human rights and civil society organizations signed a joint statement opposing a proposed espionage law in Türkiye, claiming the bill could allow the government to imprison journalists and human rights organizations for engaging in legitimate civil society activities. In 2022, Amnesty International also condemned the parliament’s approval of the disinformation law, arguing that the law enables the government to censor critical voices.
The main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is preparing to challenge the cybersecurity law before the Constitutional Court.
The post Türkiye cybersecurity bill sparks concerns over press freedom appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The CPJ criticized the new law for imposing a prison sentence of two to five years for any individual who “knowingly creates or spreads ‘false’ content claiming that there is a cybersecurity data leak ‘in order to create anxiety, fear, and panic among the public, or to target institutions or individuals.'”
The rights group explained that the vague language of the provision could hinder journalistic work and criminalize legitimate reporting on cybersecurity incidents unless such incidents are confirmed by official sources.
CPJ’s Turkey Representative Özgür Öğret stated:
The new law enhances the powers of the Cybersecurity Directorate, which will now oversee data collection and cybersecurity enforcement. This directorate also has the power to grant authorizations to law enforcement agencies to conduct cybersecurity inspections.
The cybersecurity bill established two new entities, a cybersecurity authority and a cybersecurity commission, both of which will have access to any digital information within the country, subject to court approval. Additionally, the bill created a cybersecurity board to oversee the implementation of the law. This board will comprise government officials, including the president and several key ministers, such as the minister of justice, the minister of the interior, the minister of defense, and the intelligence chief.
The Turkish Parliament passed the controversial cybersecurity law on Tuesday in response to a report by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) in 2024, which revealed that the personal data of millions of Turkish citizens had been stolen from government servers. While the government stressed that the new bill aims to enhance national security by implementing mechanisms for a safer cyberspace and protecting technological infrastructure, rights groups and opposition leaders have expressed concerns that the bill could threaten freedom of speech and journalism, as well as grant excessive powers to executive bodies, potentially leading to abuse of power.
Prior to the law’s discussion in parliament, the Turkish Journalists Association warned that approval of the proposed cybersecurity bill would impede press freedom and pose risks to privacy rights. They urged the government to reform several articles to align with the fundamental rights and freedoms outlined in the constitution.
Turkiye has previously faced criticism for misusing controversial legislation that grants restrictive powers to government officials aimed at targeting civil society activists and journalists. In 2024, 81 human rights and civil society organizations signed a joint statement opposing a proposed espionage law in Türkiye, claiming the bill could allow the government to imprison journalists and human rights organizations for engaging in legitimate civil society activities. In 2022, Amnesty International also condemned the parliament’s approval of the disinformation law, arguing that the law enables the government to censor critical voices.
The main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is preparing to challenge the cybersecurity law before the Constitutional Court.
The post Türkiye cybersecurity bill sparks concerns over press freedom appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.