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Türkiye blocks 93 X accounts over alleged Israeli propaganda, disinformation

This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) displayed on a smartphone in Brussels, Sept. 27, 2024 (AFP Photo)
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This illustration photograph shows the logo of social network X (formerly Twitter) displayed on a smartphone in Brussels, Sept. 27, 2024 (AFP Photo)
September 27, 2026 09:53 PM GMT+03:00

Turkish authorities have blocked access to 93 accounts on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after determining the accounts were spreading propaganda favorable to Israel, threatening national security and running coordinated disinformation campaigns.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued the access ban following an investigation coordinated by Türkiye's Directorate of Communications.

Officials said the accounts had been found to have propagated pro-Israeli content, worked to stoke hatred and animosity in society, and conducted what authorities described as perception operations through disinformation posts.

Person holding a cellphone with the website of the Israeli national intelligence agency Mossad. (Adobe Stock Photo)
Person holding a cellphone with the website of the Israeli national intelligence agency Mossad. (Adobe Stock Photo)

Investigators describe an organized network

The action against the 93 accounts was part of a wider sweep announced the same day, in which authorities blocked a combined 133 X accounts across two separate prosecutorial decisions.

The 133 accounts were found to be spreading disinformation related to developments in the Gulf and the Middle East, publishing manipulative stock market posts, targeting national security, and conducting Israeli propaganda.

Of that total, the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a blocking order against 40 accounts, while the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a separate order against 93 accounts.

Within the Adana-linked group, 12 accounts were found to be spreading disinformation over developments in the Gulf and the Middle East, seven accounts had made manipulative stock market posts, and 21 accounts were found to be targeting national security.

Investigators concluded the 93 blocked accounts did not operate as isolated or scattered profiles but instead functioned as an organized network that played an active role in provocative agenda-setting campaigns targeting Türkiye.

Second, related block tied to regional developments and stock manipulation

The Adana prosecutor's decision, filed separately from the Istanbul order, centered on posts linked to developments in the Gulf and the Middle East as well as social media activity accused of manipulating stock market trading.

The two blocking decisions, while announced together by the Directorate of Communications, stemmed from separate legal proceedings in Adana and Istanbul.

Turkish authorities took similar action in May, when another batch of 93 accounts was blocked on grounds that they were engaged in organized digital activity and provocative posts aimed at disrupting public order, pointing to a pattern of recurring enforcement against social media accounts under Turkish disinformation and national security statutes.

Legal basis and background

Türkiye has increasingly used judicial blocking orders against social media accounts and websites under laws targeting disinformation and threats to national security, with prosecutors' offices in various provinces empowered to issue such rulings.

The Directorate of Communications, which operates under the Turkish presidency, has in recent years played a coordinating role in identifying accounts flagged for investigation before referring cases to prosecutors.

Access restrictions of this kind typically apply to users inside Türkiye, and platforms such as X have previously complied with government blocking requests in the country, though enforcement and account-level compliance can vary. The identities of the blocked accounts have not been made public.

September 27, 2026 09:53 PM GMT+03:00
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