We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and we work hard to protect and defend these values around the world. More than half of the people in Turkey rely on Facebook to stay in touch with their friends and family, to express their opinions and grow their businesses.
We have been closely following developments on Turkey’s recently amended Internet Law No. 5651 which stipulates new requirements for social media platforms. Like other companies, we have decided to begin the process of appointing a legal entity as a local representative in compliance with the law, while also recognizing how important it is for our platform to be a place where users can exercise their freedom of expression.
This decision does not change Facebook’s Community Standards, nor the global process for reviewing government requests, and we will withdraw the representative if we face pressure on either. We will continue to review and evaluate government requests in accordance with our policies, including our commitments as a Global Network Initiative member, and under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We will continue to report details of the content we restrict, in line with our existing transparency processes.
We remain committed to the Turkish community and maintaining free expression and other human rights in Turkey.