Earthquake-hit Turkey introduces app to combat online disinformation
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Alaina
- . February 8, 2023
- . Update: February 9, 2023 1:17 am
A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey early Monday and the scores of aftershocks that followed have killed over 11,000 people in the country and neighbouring Syria. More than 70 countries have pledged support for rescue and relief efforts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a three-month state of emergency in ten heavily damaged provinces, while aid organisations struggle with the complicated logistics of sending urgent assistance to residents of war-hit Syria.
Erdogan has travelled to some of the areas worst hit by the temblors. With the country’s upcoming tightly-contested election on May 14, the president’s handling of the situation could have a noteworthy impact on his re-election chances.
Read | Turkey-Syria earthquake: death toll exceeds 9,500; WHO warns that “time is running out”
The Turkish government on Tuesday introduced a smartphone application called “Disinformation Reporting Service” – available on both Android and iOS devices – to allow users to report people who are believed to have produced or proliferated fake news or disinformation online, Turkish Minute reported.
The application comes after opposition politicians, human rights activists, and journalists, who have been reporting on the disaster, accused the government of failing to mobilise enough people for the search and rescue efforts and lack of coordination among the teams, which compelled civilians in certain areas to try to pull their loved ones out of the debris themselves and find them frozen to death albeit they suffered no critical injuries.
A number of social media users have also raised complaints about the shortage of basic necessities, including blankets, tents, water, and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, Erdogan said he was “keeping note of all the lies and distortions and will open his notebook when the time comes.” His remarks have been interpreted by a number of people in the country as an attempt to silence criticism against his government due to what they say is its poor response to the situation, Turkish Minute mentioned.
