Turkey’s new cyber security law, enacted in late July, centralises digital oversight in the Cybersecurity Directorate attached to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office. The directorate can order urgent measures on its own initiative or at the request of security agencies, with telecom operators and online platforms required to comply within two hours. Orders are reviewed by a judge only after implementation.

The measure is justified on national‑security grounds, describing cyberspace as "as vital as conventional defence." Critics say the law risks creating a regime of "absolute digital obedience", giving the presidency sweeping powers over internet services, gaming platforms and social media accounts. About 90 % of Turkey’s national media are already under government control, leaving platforms such as X, YouTube and Meta’s Instagram among the few relatively open spaces for dissent.

The law also threatens to extend age verification via e‑Devlet, potentially tying every Turkish social‑media account to a state‑verified identity. The regime has previously throttled bandwidth to limit services during protests and has imposed a ban on children under 15 accessing social media. Human Rights Watch’s researcher Tomiwa Ilori and law professor Yaman Akdeniz warn that the undefined powers could turn Turkey into a "digital prison" and a "digital panopticon."