Turkiye blocks access to Discord messaging platform

Istanbul: Turkiye blocked access to the Discord social media platform Wednesday to protect children and young people from online abuse, the justice...

Istanbul: Turkiye blocked access to the Discord social media platform Wednesday to "protect" children and young people from online abuse, the justice minister said.

The move by Turkiye's BTK communications authority came after a ruling by a court in Ankara amid "suspicion" the platform had been used for "the sexual abuse of children and obscenity".

"We are determined to protect our young people and our children... from harmful and criminal publications on social media and the internet," Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The ban came a day after Russia also banned the platform.

Discord, a US-based platform very popular with video game fans, is also used as an internal messaging system by many firms and has become an alternative for people who have turned away from X and Facebook.