Spotify Opens an Office in Turkey
TÜK (Supreme Council for Radio and Television), the official body for licensed radio and television programs in Turkey, recently sent out a notice to several broadcasters, including Spotify and FOXplay, citing that they have not applied for authorization to operate in the country.
credit: Spotify.com
The organizations have 72 hours to apply for the mandatory licensing process, or risk the consequences of being banned. With that risk in mind, the local news reports of the notice has caused users of the services concern. They worry that their broadcasts could be blocked.
Turkey is a place that has already witnessed the banning of channels such as Wikipedia and YouTube. Therefore, the problem of temporarily not being able to access Spotify seems quite possible.
In the notice, TUK stated that, in compliance with Law No. 6112 on Radio and Television Establishment and Broadcasting Services, an offer was submitted for the licensing procedures to be completed within three months. They further demanded that these organizations should apply for their official licenses within 72 hours.
Provided that the companies pay the broadcasting license fee in advance within the specified period, they will be able to continue broadcast services for another 3 months while waiting for completion of the licensing process.
Spotify has reportedly submitted the license application. What’s more, the music streaming service has also agreed to open a registered Spotify office in Turkey.
The Law on the Control of Internet Broadcasts and the Battle Against Crimes Committed by these Broadcasts came into force as a new regulation as of October 1st in Turkey as well.
This legislation, which raises censorship concerns, mandates that all external social network providers, with a daily audience of more than 1 million, must establish representative offices inside the borders of Turkey. If they fail to comply, the blocking of access to these apps is anticipated.
Facebook and Instagram are among the most used social media platforms in Turkey. Neither platform has an official office in the country. As such, this law raises the question of whether will go through the same process, of face a ban of their service. As yet, Facebook has not made any official statements on this issue.
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