By dubailife 
Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday that it welcomed Turkey’s decision to restore access to Instagram and that it remains in discussions with Turkish authorities regarding content and accounts that breach its policies.
“We’re glad to see Instagram back online in Turkey… We continue to engage with the authorities and will keep addressing any content and accounts that violate our guidelines,” a Meta spokesperson stated.
The spokesperson added, “This includes removing content that violates our Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy and applying newsworthy allowances where appropriate.”
Turkey reinstated access to Instagram on Saturday after a nine-day ban, following an agreement with the US company to cooperate with the government on addressing its concerns. The platform had been blocked on August 2 for not complying with Turkey’s “laws and rules.”
The ban was imposed after a senior Turkish official accused Instagram of blocking posts expressing condolences over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The restriction sparked protests from users and small businesses that rely on the platform to reach their customers.
On Monday, a court in Izmir ordered the arrest of a woman on charges of inciting hatred and insulting the president after she criticized the Instagram ban, according to Haberturk and other media outlets.
Meta clarified that it has not altered its policies but agreed to review the accuracy of actions taken regarding policy-violating content and accounts in Turkey following Haniyeh’s death. The company also noted that it applied newsworthy allowances to content posted by Turkish politicians, as per its standard procedures. Meta’s policy allows content that would typically violate its guidelines to remain visible if it is deemed newsworthy or in the public interest.
Turkey ranks fifth globally in Instagram usage, with over 57 million users, trailing behind India, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia, according to data from Statista.
Source : Khaleejtimes