X Withholds Nearly 500 Accounts in Turkey in a Week, Censorship Monitor Says
According to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, X has concealed around 500 accounts from users in Turkey over the past week, many of which are operated by reporters, economists, and academics. This information was provided by EngelliWeb, a censorship monitoring project run by the Turkish rights group İFÖD.
EngelliWeb states that the blocks were implemented based on court orders citing national security and public order concerns. However, X has not provided a reason for restricting these accounts.
Many users had been discussing a crisis in Turkey’s investment fund market. At the beginning of this month, Turkey’s market regulator instructed seven fund companies to close 131 funds due to their inability to repay investors. Online outrage grew swiftly regarding the government’s handling of the situation.
On September 22, İFÖD noted that 194 accounts had been blocked as a result of investigations into posts concerning the financial markets, including those of economists Uğur Gürses and Bilge Yılmaz, and journalist Naz Yavuzarslan. Prosecutors claimed that such posts could alarm investors. On September 26, at least 80 more accounts, including the news site Kısa Dalga, were added. On Monday, EngelliWeb recorded at least 150 more blocks, targeting two reporters from the daily BirGün and a court reporter from the ANKA news agency.
The same restrictions apply to those recording them. EngelliWeb reported that last week, X hid the account of Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor who co-founded İFÖD and operates EngelliWeb.
"I have been fighting internet censorship for over 30 years, and X has notified me without providing the details, or a copy of the blocking decision, or the reasons," Akdeniz wrote on X.
The courts applied Article 8/A of Turkey’s internet law, which allows for access suspension first, followed by a judge’s approval. Due to the blocking arrangement at the country level, the accounts remain visible everywhere except in Turkey.
This initiative is part of a broader trend; since September 9, hundreds of accounts have been disabled in Turkey, starting with LGBTQ+ groups and progressing to women’s groups, rights organizations, and news agencies.
X has previously opposed Turkish requests. In March 2025, it declared that orders to block over 700 accounts were unlawful. Additionally, in August, it stated it would challenge the ban on the campaign account of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul mayor, while complying with the order.
Story by Ana-Maria Stanciuc, Editor-in-Chief for TNW