Turkey expands online censorship, silences dissent as Erdogan tightens grip on power

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a ceremony to hand over new vehicles to the gendarmerie and police forces in Istanbul, Turkey November 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer

As President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens his grip on Turkish institutions, a wide-ranging crackdown on the country’s digital space is gathering pace, sparking new concerns that the last avenues of dissent are being brought under state control.

According to a report by the Association for Freedom of Expression (İFÖD), more than 1.5 million websites and domain names have been taken down. stuck in Türkiye in 2025, highlighting what experts have described as the government’s growing reliance on online censorship as a routine tool to suppress dissent and strengthen political control.

Turkey’s media landscape has been gradually reshaped in recent years by regulatory pressure, ownership consolidation and state-aligned corporate takeovers that have tilted much of the country’s television and print sector toward pro-government influence.

Rights groups and media watchdogs say this has led to a dramatic reduction in space for independent journalism, as critical media outlets face growing financial and legal pressures while pro-government media groups increasingly dominate public discourse.

As traditional media outlets become increasingly constrained, social media has become one of the last high-profile spaces where opposition politicians, independent journalists, activists and ordinary citizens can still bypass government-aligned media and directly reach large audiences.

Ankara now seems to be taking a new step.

According to İFÖD, the Turkish government is preparing legislation that would require social media users to verify their identities using national identification numbers, significantly expanding state surveillance of online activities.

Experts warn the proposal would remove much of the anonymity that still exists online in a country where thousands of users have faced investigations, detentions and criminal prosecutions for posts critical of the government.

Authorities are also proposing new restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs), tools that encrypt Internet traffic and are widely used to bypass state-mandated Internet filters and access otherwise blocked sites.

The İFÖD report claims that Turkey’s censorship apparatus has gone far beyond removing individual posts or blocking isolated websites, instead describing a sophisticated structure capable of restricting access at multiple levels simultaneously – from posts on social media and news sites to email services and the broader internet infrastructure.

Experts warn that the measures reflect a broader shift in how Turkish authorities are reshaping their control over digital space, increasingly deploying drastic online restrictions during periods of political tension, when information spreads beyond official channels.

Beyond regulating online content, critics say growing digital repression has become a key instrument for shrinking political space – used to silence opposition voices, intimidate journalists and stifle public dissent.

Democracy advocates warn that it also serves to mask a deepening system of internal repression, as authorities tighten control over information flows, reshape the online environment and consolidate political power while preserving the appearance of democratic governance.

Growing concerns about Turkey’s democratic backsliding extend far beyond its borders.

Earlier this year, the European Parliament sharply criticized Ankara for what lawmakers described as a pattern of transnational repression, political interference abroad and support for extremist and ideological networks.

In a 2025 report on Turkey, European lawmakers have warned of what they described as a growing trend of intimidation, forced repatriations and alleged misuse of international cooperation mechanisms against Turkish nationals abroad, with government-related practices causing particular concern.

The report also notes that Ankara had sought to influence political dynamics within EU member states, highlighting its activities targeting diaspora communities and describing the state-run Anadolu agency as a tool for projecting state narratives beyond Turkey’s borders.

As Turkish authorities expand their campaign against opposition figures abroad, experts point to a coordinated apparatus involving diplomatic pressure, intelligence activities, legal tools and state-aligned media used to track, pressure and target critics abroad.

European lawmakers also reiterated long-standing concerns about democratic backsliding in Turkey, citing the erosion of judicial independence, growing restrictions on media freedoms and persistent pressure on civil society organizations.

They further expressed concerns over prosecutions of journalists and opposition figures, persistent allegations of corruption and the continued failure to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

Israeli officials have repeatedly accused Erdogan of “crushing” democracy in his own country, lambasting Ankara’s use of police force against opposition politicians.

Last month, Turkish riot police forced their way into the headquarters of the main opposition party to evict the ousted leadership.

Police stormed the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building in Ankara, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters and officials who had barricaded themselves inside and were shouting and throwing objects at the entrance.

A Turkish court has ousted CHP leader Özgur Ozel, overturning the results of the 2023 party congress where he was elected president, citing irregularities in a decision that dealt a blow to Erdogan’s opponents and posed a test for democracy in Turkey.