Turkish users of Facebook and X may soon be forced to sign up using their official government ID.
The country’s newly-installed justice minister Akın Gürlek said on February 19 that he was preparing legislation that would require identity verification for social media users, effectively ending the widespread use of anonymous accounts by Turkish users.
Gürlek – who was nominated as justice minister on February 11 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – claimed the move aimed to ensure “that users who spread harmful content, incite harassment, or engage in unlawful online behaviour could be held legally responsible”.
A proposed law will be submitted to the National Assembly in Ankara by the end of February.
Gürlek said that after the adoption of the new regulations, there would be a grace period during which anonymous users could verify their accounts. This could happen using the country’s official electronic ID system or registered mobile phones. After this transitional phase, unverified accounts could face restrictions.
Free-speech watchdogs are horrified. The Turkish Freedom of Expression Association (IFÖD), an NGO, told news outlet Bianet on February 20: “The law is a ‘digital isolation’ project that encompasses the entire society, stifles digital breathing spaces, and isolates Turkey from the open world, trapping it within itself.”
The NGO believes mandatory identity verification will destroy anonymity online and lead individuals to self-censor out of fear of repercussions.
IFÖD sees the ID requirement as part of a bigger plan of the authoritarian Erdogan administration, saying that the regulation – together with a planned social media ban for children under the age of 15 – “complete the pieces of the puzzle.
The aim, it said, is not to protect children; it is to build a gigantic “‘Digital Panopticon’ where everyone is monitored, profiled, and controlled”.
Before being made justice minister, Gürlek had served as Chief Public Prosecutor since 2024. He was involved in several legal proceedings against opponents of Erdogan, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu who was placed in detention in March 2025.
As of 2025, Turkey ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, one place above Venezuela.
The European Commission on November 11 last year criticised Turkey for allegedly suppressing freedom of expression and increased state persecution of dissidents.
