IZMIR, Turkey
Vehemently denying allegations of Internet censorship, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc spoke at a press conference after meeting with AK Party members in the western city of Izmir on Monday.
"There is no such thing (as Internet censorship) we are freer compared to many other countries in the world, and we have freedom of press," Arinc said.
"There is no such thing. Where do these allegations come from? The Constitution states that press is free, and may not be censored," he said.
Referring to the regulation on "safe Internet practices", in effect since November 2011, which were also harshly criticized, Arinc said that now over two million people are benefitting from an option offered for parents who wish to protect their children from harmful content such as adult content and violence.
"Democracies offer people the right to choose from among different alternatives," Arinc noted.
"We know what are doing," the Deputy PM said regarding allegations directed at AK Party accusing it "of being anti-democratic, breaching human rights and restricting freedom".
Announcing an upcoming regulation about news portals, Arinc said that they will all be covered by the press law, and added that this is a long-awaited regulation.
In response to a question about wiretapping, Arinc said that this is pretty disturbing, and has gotten way out of control in the recent years.
"Intervening in people's personal lives is not just a breach of privacy. Illegally wiretapping conversations with malicious intent is extremely offensive. We will take the necessary precautions to end this outrage which could create panic within the community at large," Arinc said.
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