Spotify, FOXplay to face access ban in Turkey if they don't make license applications in 3 days

Duvar English

Turkey's media watchdog has given 72 hours to several broadcasting corporations to make license applications and said that it will apply for access ban if they don't do so.

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) gave 72 hours to Spotify, FOXplay, Medyaport TV and Paylas FM, it said in a statement on Oct. 12.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Mubi previously launched the process to obtain licenses.

Digital platforms are under the authority of RTÜK as part of a regulation that passed on Aug. 1, 2019. Broadcasting corporations can't operate without getting licenses from RTÜK as part of the amendment.

Streaming platforms, such as Netflix, BluTV and Puhutv are also under the watchdog's authority.

As part of the regulations, the companies are forced to remove the content found inappropriate by RTÜK.

Most recently, Turkey's new social media regulation went into effect on Oct. 1 amid intense criticism on censorship, bringing along a string of restrictions for social media companies, including the requirement to open offices in Turkey, and a halving of their bandwidth if they fail to comply.

The new legislation requires that social media platforms with more than one million users to appoint representatives in Turkey, effectively placing them under Turkish jurisdiction.

If social media companies fail to comply with this requirement, they will face administrative fines, advertisement bans, and finally, gradual lowering of their bandwidth in the country until access is practically barred.

The regulation also allows social media users to report content that they believe violates their rights, and social media representatives will be mandated to respond to these reports within 48 hours, or face five million liras in fines.