08/10/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kaos GL Human Rights Programme Coordinator, Lawyer Kerem Dikmen, discussed the access issues to KaosGL.org in an interview with bianet.
Photograph: bianet
The LGBTI+ news portal KaosGL.org has been blocked from the ‘Family’ and ‘Child’ profiles of internet service providers as of 18 September, under the 'Safe Internet Service' program implemented by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) since 2011.
Kerem Dikmen, a lawyer from Kaos GL Association, spoke to Tuğçe Yılmaz from bianet about the access issue, stating that it significantly limits freedom of expression. He emphasized that since September, they have been receiving complaints from readers unable to access KaosGL.org, and expressed concerns over the restrictive nature of the block.
“LGBTI+ news portals like Kaos GL, along with their users or content creators, remain unaware of these restrictions until they personally experience the issue. For instance, neither users nor Kaos GL’s administrators are informed of the block until they realize they can no longer access the site. Since September, we’ve received numerous complaints from readers facing this issue. I encountered the problem myself when I applied for a new internet subscription after moving homes, and other users have reported similar issues with mobile data. This led us to delve deeper into the problem and start filing more systematic complaints. The current system essentially traps users within a censorship mechanism without their knowledge. It’s like someone being arrested and locked in a cell, but the process is so opaque that the person isn’t even aware of why they’ve been imprisoned.”
Tags: human rights, media