Following the last devastating earthquake hitting Turkey and Syria, causing significant casualties, misleading information and inaccurate reporting sparked online. Misbar has allocated efforts to monitor misinformation and false stories about the disaster, considered the worst natural disaster in a century.
Turkey’s New Step to Combat Online Misinformation
Misinformation and conspiracy theories propagate as rescue and recovery operations continue. Meanwhile, the Turkish government has introduced a new smartphone application allowing people to report people producing or sharing misinformation or disinformation online.
According to the Turkish Presidential Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun, the application is called “Disinformation Reporting Service” and was made in versions for download on both iOS and Android devices. “You can download and report the suspicious/fake news produced and spread about the earthquake disaster to your phone,” Altun wrote on his official Twitter account.
This move comes after journalists and activists accused the Turkish ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), of poor performance in coordinating search following the devastating quake.
The Turkish government was also accused of a lack of coordination and mobilization which resulted in civilians trying to save their loved ones themselves in risky rubbles. Meanwhile, many social media users complained about a lack of basics like water, blankets, and medical supplies.
20 People Arrested for Publishing ‘Provocative Posts’
The Turkish courts have ruled for the arrest of twenty social media users after they published “provocative” posts about the recent destructive earthquake hitting the country, The Turkish Minute reported, citing the Security Directorate General.
According to the article, 78 out of 293 social media users who have been investigated have been detained. Meanwhile, ten were arrested for sharing “provocative” content related to the quake to evoke “fear and panic in the society.”
Turkey Keeping Note of Lies of Distortion
After announcing a state of emergency for the provinces affected by the disaster, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated he was “keeping note of all the lies and distortions and will open his notebook when the time comes.”
The president’s statement was subject to different interpretations, and many said it was an attempt to silence criticism against his party and his government criticized for its “poor response to the disaster.”
Despite the opposition of Turkey’s main opposition groups, a disinformation bill was previously approved by the parliament last October with votes of the ruling party and its allies. This new legislation was later considered an “attack on free speech in the country.”
According to Stockholm Center for Freedom, Article 29 of the bill amends the Turkish Penal Code by adding a provision (Article 217/A) that would subject persons found guilty of publicly disseminating false or misleading information to between one and three years in prison and would increase the penalty for offenders who hide their identity or act on behalf of an organization.
The Syria-Turkey Earthquake
On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck several regions in Syria and Turkey, causing significant damage and casualties. The death toll from the disaster is nearing 44,000. As of their latest reports, Turkish authorities said 36,187 people were killed in the country. Meanwhile, the Syrian government and the United Nations say more than 5,800 people died in Syria.
The authorities have also reported severe damage in the infrastructure of the cities affected by the quakes.
Turkish President Erdogan said 2.2 million people voluntarily left the earthquake-affected provinces. Meanwhile, UNICEF warned that more than seven million children live in the areas affected by the earthquake, with 4.6 million in Turkey and 2.5 million in Syria.
As rescue operations continue to find survivors under the rubble, the United Nations launched an appeal for $1 billion in aid to help victims in Turkey of last week’s earthquake.
Although many donations were transferred to the Turkish victims of the earthquake, the World Health Organization described northwestern Syria as “a zone of greatest concern” where an anger wave is growing over the slow delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Misbar’s Sources:
