NEWSLETTER-2020-metin

410 NEWSLETTER 2020 What Has Come About through the Social Media Regulation?* Att. İdil Uz Introduction In parallel with the developments in technology, the increase in the rate of internet usage and the number of online environments in- creases the exploitability of the ease of use provided through these en- vironments. Many states, especially European Union countries, have started to make legal regulations in order to combat crimes committed over the internet and through online platforms, and to increase the sanction mechanism of their domestic laws on these crimes. In Turkey, through Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Publi- cations on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed through Such Publication (“Internet Law”), regulations regarding these online environments have been introduced and, by this means, it is aimed to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. The most recent regulation brought in this context is Law No. 7253 1 , which is publicly known as the Social Media Law and, through this law, various amendments are stipulated in the Internet Law. Through these amendments, it is aimed to increase the functionality of the state sanc- tion mechanism against social media platforms that are especially es- tablished in foreign countries. This aim was revealed by the statement, “Despite the large number of users and billions of dollars of revenue they have earned from their users, social network providers have not developed preventive and protective mechanism needed to protect the rights of individuals, (…) or they resisted the justified demands of the states, (…) difficulties are experienced in fulfilling the positive * Article of August, 2020 1 Law No. 7253 on theAmendment to the Law on the Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed through Such Publication, which entered in force through publication in the Official Gazette dated 31.07.2020 and numbered 31202.