Turkey, Iceland, press freedom, Google

What links Turkey, Iceland, press freedom and Google?

My recent blog “World Press Freedom Index:  Turkey” was the most-read blog I have written since coming to Turkey.  So I was interested to see reports recently about the balance which all countries must strike between media freedoms; genuine security concerns; and ensuring that the extent to which information is controlled enjoys broad support across society.

The internet, allowing access to more information than our ancestors could have thought possible, poses challenges as well as opportunities.  The British newspaper The Observer recently reported on plans in Iceland – a famously liberal society – to ban violent Internet pornography, following a nationwide consultation.  Commentators noted that the initiative would require difficult judgements on the balance between between freedom of expression and prohibiting material which many people in Iceland found offensive.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Government has announced ambitious plans to increase average income levels to $25,000 by the 2023 anniversary of the founding of the Republic.  One of the measures designed to help this happen is to encourage the development of industries which will make Turkey a high-tech hub for the region.

This is an important goal and makes a lot of sense.  There is room for growth.  According to a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group, the internet economy accounts for around 1.7% of Turkish GDP, based on OECD data, compared with, for example, 8.3% in the UK.

The challenge is that at present, Turkey is sometimes perceived as a country where the internet is comparatively tightly controlled.  In 2007 and 2008, for example, the popular website YouTube was banned several times in Turkey.  Google’s 6-monthly “Transparency Report” for January-June 2012 stated that the number of requests for removal of content which Google has received over the previous reporting period had increased by over 1,000%.

The fact that many countries are struggling with these issues shows just how difficult they are.  According to some reports, for example, many Turkish people approved on the banning of YouTube because the bans were directed at sites containing material many people found offensive.  Achieving maximum clarity of legislation while allowing companies access to the latest technology, such as cloud computing, will be an important ingredient of the Turkish legislative framework if the country is to make the most of the opportunities which the internet provides for accelerating economic growth.