Turkey announced that it had barred access to Discord after investigating organisations accused of violence, extortion, and sexual assault against children and women using the network.
The move comes as Turkey grapples with growing worries about the safety of social media platforms, particularly after accusations arose claiming that certain Discord groups were targeting children for grooming, extortion, and cyberbullying.
Some organisations utilised the “901” tag in their usernames to identify themselves, which alarmed officials and parents alike.
According to Minister Yılmaz Tunç on X, the Ankara court ordered the ban on the site after receiving a request from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, citing substantial suspicion of “child sexual abuse and obscenity” crimes on the platform.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also revealed that two adolescents had been detained after it was discovered that they were the moderators of a group that engaged in sexual assault against children.
Following the investigations, the Ankara 1st Criminal Court of Peace issued an order that barred access to Discord.
“We are determined to protect our young people and our children … from harmful and criminal publications on social media and the internet,” Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The site, which is best known for its broad use among gaming communities, has recently come under fire for claims of nefarious actors abusing it.
There have been allegations that certain Discord groups are participating in criminal activity, such as blackmailing minors and spreading hazardous content.
These developments have fuelled efforts to shut down the app, however, some think that outright banning the platform is an overkill.
The van followed an earlier report that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media watchdog, barred Discord on Tuesday, claiming it did not meet the country’s regulatory criteria.
