The Press Law, known as the "anti-disinformation regulation," was approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on Thursday along with a bill proposed to amend certain laws.

According to the law, the Directorate of Communications will oversee the press card application process and the credential will be accepted as an official form of identification going forward.

Those applying for press passes will have to meet certain conditions, ruling out those who have been imprisoned for five years or more or convicted of forgery, fraud, jeopardizing state secrets, crimes against national defense and crimes that disrupt public peace.

If a press card holder does not have the qualifications or meet the criteria specified in the law or subsequently fails to meet it, the Directorate of Communications has the power to cancel their press card.

Press cards for news sites

The changes also mean that official announcements and advertisements can be published on internet news sites through Türkiye's Press Advertisement Institution.

By including internet news sites in the periodicals category, they will have to abide by the Press Law and their employees will be eligible for press cards.

Content published on the internet cannot be taken down for two years in the event a request is made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office when necessary.

'Misleading information'

In addition, a new category of crime was introduced in the "Crimes Against Public Peace" section of the Turkish Penal Code that criminalizes "publicly disseminating misleading information to the public."

Anyone who publicly disseminates misleading information about the country's internal and external security, public order and general well-being, with the intention of generating anxiety, fear or panic among the public in a way that disturbs public peace will face one to three years in prison.

Regulations for social media companies

Social network providers will be required to comply with regulations regarding user rights to be made by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA).

Social network providers are obliged to provide child-specific segregated services for more effective protection of children on social networks.

Representatives of social network providers must be Turkish citizens or residents of Türkiye. If this representative is a legal entity, it will be obligatory to have a branch established directly by the social network provider as a capital company.

The head of ICTA will be able to impose an administrative fine of up to 3% of its global turnover in the previous calendar year on the social network provider if it fails to fulfill its obligations specified in the law.

Following the move, Transport and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Ömer Fatih Sayan shared more details about the regulation, also known as the "anti-disinformation regulation," on his Twitter account.

"We regret to see that the number of hate speech, disinformation, manipulation, insults and false content on social media platforms related to this law is increasing," Sayan said.

In addition, Sayan emphasized that establishing a cleaner and safer internet for citizens is their most important task.

In previous weeks, the TBMM approved the first two articles of the proposal to amend the "anti-disinformation regulation."

A key concern among critics of the bill is an article saying those who spread false information about national security to create fear and disturb public order will face a prison sentence of one to three years.

Hüseyin Yayman, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lawmaker who chairs the Parliamentary Digital Media Commission, dismissed the critics' concerns, saying the aim is to protect everyone from false accusations on social media.

"We are making a regulation on disinformation. Blocking or restriction of social media is out of the question. The AK Party is a party that fights against censorship and bans," he said.

Addressing concerns that the regulation was a means of silencing the opposition ahead of the 2023 elections, Yayman said the criticism was both "false and meaningless."

The AK Party and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), first sent the draft law to Parliament in May, but the debate was postponed for further consultation.