Experts warn the new proposal would strip away much of the anonymity that still exists online in a country where thousands of users have faced investigations, detentions, and criminal prosecutions.By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The AlgemeinerAs Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s allies seek a legal route to extend his rule beyond a constitutionally limited second term, a sweeping crackdown on the country’s digital space is accelerating under new legislation that would require social media users to link their accounts to national ID numbers, fueling fears that the last spaces for dissent are slipping further under state control.Expected to be submitted to parliament in October, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek explained that the new legislation would link social media accounts to users’ national identification numbers, with the data stored by Turkey’s Cyber Security Directorate.“Nobody will be able to hide behind fake or anonymous profiles to damage someone’s reputation or run perception operations with false news,” the Turkish minister said during a televised speech.His remarks were reported by Nordic Monitor, a news site run by the Stockholm-based Nordic Research and Monitoring Network.Under the new proposal, prosecutors or courts could seek to uncover a user’s identity only after determining that an account may be linked to a specific offense, such as defamation, potentially opening the door to greater scrutiny of users behind social media accounts.The Cyber Security Directorate, Turkey’s government body responsible for overseeing cybersecurity, would then reveal the account holder’s identity to the relevant authorities for investigation or legal proceedings.Officials have presented this new measure as a way to safeguard lawful users while cracking down on those who use online anonymity to commit offenses.Once the law takes effect, users would have three months to link their accounts to their national identification numbers, after which unverified accounts would be shut down.Experts warn the new proposal would strip away much of the anonymity that still exists online in a country where thousands of users have faced investigations, detentions, and criminal prosecutions over posts critical of the government.For years, Turkish authorities under Erdogan have been able to trace anonymous social media accounts through internet service providers and IP address records, using such tools to monitor dissent and opposition voices and further tighten their grip on the country’s online space.Now, experts warn that the legislation could take on greater significance as Turkey approaches its next presidential elections, giving authorities another tool to identify and deter online criticism and opposition activity amid increasingly broad restrictions and criminal investigations targeting social media users.Even though the government has described the measure as a way to combat crime and disinformation, human rights groups warn that introducing it ahead of an election could further restrict critical voices as political parties and candidates increasingly rely on social media to reach voters.The development comes as senior Turkish officials have said in recent weeks that they are pursuing a way for upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections — currently scheduled for May 2028 — to be brought forward to April, potentially allowing Erdogan to seek a third term and circumvent constitutional term limits.According to Nordic Monitor, Turkish authorities have blocked 2,034 social media accounts over the past two months, including 699 linked to terrorist or criminal organizations and another 1,335 accused of spreading disinformation.Under Turkish law, deliberately spreading false information about the country’s internal or external security, public order, or public health in a way that could create panic, fear, or anxiety and disrupt public peace can carry a prison sentence of one to three years.So far this year, roughly 73,000 social media accounts have reportedly been blocked, with restrictions disproportionately affecting government critics, while pro-government accounts have not faced similar levels of enforcement.According to a report by the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), more than 1.5 million websites and domain names had been blocked in Turkey in 2025, underscoring what experts described as the government’s growing use of online censorship as a routine tool to suppress dissent and tighten political control.In one of the latest cases in a growing string of social media account closures, Turkish authorities blocked the X account of Yaman Akdeniz, a digital rights expert and founder of IFOD, citing “grounds of protecting national security and public order.”Turkish authorities have repeatedly limited access to platforms such as X, YouTube, and Instagram during periods of political turmoil, including in the wake of the 2025 arrest of Istanbul Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu.Turkey’s media landscape has been steadily reshaped in recent years through regulatory pressure, ownership consolidation, and state-aligned corporate takeovers that have shifted much of the country’s television and newspaper sector toward pro-government influence.Rights groups and media watchdogs say the result has been a sharply diminished space for independent journalism, as critical outlets face mounting financial and legal pressures while pro-government media groups increasingly dominate public discourse.With traditional media increasingly constrained, social media was one of the last broad-reaching spaces where opposition politicians, independent journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens could still bypass government-aligned outlets and reach large audiences directly.Moving far beyond the regulation of online content, critics say the expanding digital crackdown has become a key instrument for narrowing political space — used to silence opposition voices, intimidate journalists, and stifle public dissent.Democracy advocates warn that it also serves to obscure a deepening system of internal repression, as authorities tighten control over information flows, reshape the online environment, and consolidate political power while maintaining the appearance of democratic governance.The new social media legislation and the prospect of another Erdogan candidacy follow come amid rising alarm over democratic backsliding in Turkey.In June, Turkish riot police forced their way into the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership.The move came after a Turkish court ousted Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the results of the 2023 party congress where he was elected chairman.The court cited irregularities in a ruling that dealt a major blow to Erdogan’s challengers and that, according to critics, was a sign of political influence over the judiciary.The post Turkey’s Erdogan advances social media crackdown ahead of possible early elections appeared first on World Israel News.