ANKARA
An omnibus bill that includes the controversial regulation regarding the state control on internet has been signed into law by Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday.
An initial form of the internet law had already been ratified by Gul on Feb. 18 on condition of amendments in two issues.
The government made the revisions Gul demanded and the parliament passed the bill Wednesday.
The bill allows Turkey's official telecommunications authority to block access to websites without prior court approval.
It also stipulates that internet providers must store data on web users' activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.
The amended sections of the law requires a decision to block a website to be sent to the relevant court within 24 hours, and the court is required to rule on the decision within the next 48 hours.
If the court annuls the decision, the blockage will be lifted.
In the past, people or companies had to wait for legal proceedings before content they considered private could be blocked.
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