The international human rights organization Freedom House has published its 2025 Freedom on the Net Report, prepared by Kian Vesteinsson and Grant Baker. The report, which contains data on internet freedom in 72 countries, states that 18 countries are “free,” 32 countries are “partly free,” and 22 countries are “not free.”
Turkey, in the section prepared by Gürkan Özturan, retained its 2024 score of 31 points and was again listed among the “countries where the internet is not free.”
The report’s findings on Turkey are as follows:
• The government has increasingly restricted online expression during protests, elections, and political crises over the past 15 years.
• Access restrictions on online content, social media bans, and surveillance of electronic communications have expanded.
• Journalists, activists, and social media users have faced investigations for their posts,
• A comprehensive censorship architecture was established following the Gezi protests,
• Access was systematically restricted during periods such as the Kayseri incidents, the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the Instagram ban following the assassination of the Hamas leader between 2024 and 2025.
The report also stated that the Cyber Security Law No. 7545, adopted in 2025, grants broad powers to authorities in terms of data access and content removal, imposes penalties on those who do not want to provide their personal information, and criminalizes the dissemination of false information about data leaks.
Freedom House Turkey rapporteur Özturan stated that digital repression has increased and that mass restrictions on social media have curtailed freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, it was announced that the Turkey section of Freedom House’s report this year has been shortened due to the budget crisis in the US.
November 13, 2025
Independent Turkey