Turkey has blocked access to US chat platform Discord to "protect" its youth, authorities said.
The Turkish Information and Communication Technology Authority (BTK) announced on its website that it was acting on the decision of the court in Ankara, AFP reported.
"We are determined to protect our youth and children from harmful and criminal posts on social networks and the Internet," Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç explained in H.
Popular among video game fans, Discord is used as an internal messaging system by many companies. The platform has also become an alternative social network for those disenchanted with Facebook or X.
According to the Turkish press, some users of the platform rejoiced at the double murder of women that took place in Istanbul on October 4, which claimed the lives of two young women aged 19. According to the same media outlet, others were alleged to have sexually harassed underage girls through the messaging service.
In August, Turkey banned access to the video game platform Roblox, citing "content" harmful to "children", days after it blocked the social network Instagram. Access to Instagram was restored after nine days.
Discord, which offers a free platform where text, audio and video can be exchanged, claims to have 150 million monthly active users.
Russia announced it had banned the popular discussion platform, citing its use "for terrorist and extremist purposes." | BGNES
