The Turkish parliament has officially approved new Turkiye gaming platform legislation, marking a significant shift in how digital services will operate within the country. Following a draft announced in February by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the bill aims to impose stricter oversight on major players like Steam and Epic Games. While the government maintains these measures are designed to protect children, the new regulations promise much tighter control over digital content.
New Requirements for Steam and Epic Games
The approved legislation introduces several compliance hurdles for gaming platforms operating in the region. Any platform with more than 100,000 daily users in Turkiye is now required to appoint a local representative. While these companies are not required to open a physical office, this representative must be easily accessible, declared to authorities, and capable of responding to government requests within strict timeframes.
To ensure compliance with the new Turkiye gaming platform legislation, platforms must adhere to several specific mandates:
- Clearly display all age ratings for games.
- Offer "clear [and] easy-to-use" parental control tools.
- Manage age verification (the responsibility has shifted from individual developers to the platforms themselves).
- Note that unrated games will now be automatically assigned an 18+ rating.
Fortunately for platform holders, some of the more extreme proposals were stripped from the final bill. The authorities no longer have the power to shut down gaming platforms entirely, and requirements for mandatory data-sharing and maximum playtime limits were removed.
Penalties and Enforcement Measures
While platforms may breathe a sigh of relief regarding potential shutdowns, the financial consequences for non-compliance are steep. If a platform breaches these rules, they will first receive a warning and one month to rectify the violation.
If the issue remains unresolved after that month, a fine of 10 million Turkish lira ($223,000) will be imposed. Should the platform fail to comply for another month, the penalty trebles to 30 million Turkish lira ($668,000). If these fines fail to produce results, the regulator reserves the right to begin throttling traffic to the platform.
Social Media Platforms Face Stricter Oversight
While gaming platforms saw some relief, social media companies are facing much more draconian measures. The new laws include a total ban on all social media usage for children under the age of 15. Furthermore, these platforms must comply with content removal requests involving national security or public safety within just one hour.
The obligations for social media giants extend far beyond content moderation:
- Platforms must ensure that any deleted material cannot be re-uploaded.
- Authorities can demand data on-demand, with a strict 15-day compliance deadline.
- Companies are required to fund risk assessments regarding the social impact of their platforms.
The consequences for social media companies are significantly more severe than those for gamers. If a platform fails to act on an issue within 30 days, the regulator can prohibit all new advertising on the service. In extreme cases, authorities can impose bandwidth reductions of 50 percent, which can escalate as high as 90 percent.
Concerns Over Censorship and Implementation
The implementation of this Turkiye gaming platform legislation raises significant concerns regarding digital freedom. Critics point out that definitions of "public safety" or "illegal content" are highly subjective and subject to the will of the state. This legislation was introduced under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose administration is frequently accused of using media censorship to suppress information.
While the law has passed, it is not yet active. Once the law officially comes into effect, Steam, Epic, and other major platforms will have a six-month window to ensure they are fully compliant with the new regulations.
