ANKARA

Turkey on Wednesday denied reports alleging that it has banned messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram.

“The reports on the banning of messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram in the press and social media do not reflect the truth,” the Presidential Digital Transformation Office said in a statement.

“There is absolutely no restriction on the communication practices used by our citizens and public personnel in their daily lives.”

Referring to the Information and Communications Guide it issued on Monday, the agency said the clause regarding the use of foreign messaging applications was only applicable for confidential corporate communication and document sharing.

“With the aforementioned measure, there is no regulation and restrictions on instant messaging applications used by public personnel in personal communications,” the statement added.

According to the agency, the measures public institutions and organizations providing critical infrastructure services are required to take to reduce security risks in information systems have been in force since a presidential circular was issued on July 6, 2019.

*Writing by Handan Kazanci