X restricted nearly 500 accounts in Turkey amid fund crisis

**Bloomberg reported that X made nearly 500 accounts inaccessible in Turkey for a week, including those of journalists, economists, and academics. The restrictions coincided with investigations into financial publications and a crisis that led the regulator to order the closure of 131 funds.

• EngelliWeb attributed the blocks to court orders related to national security and public order, while X did not publicly explain the restrictions.
• The restrictions accumulated in several batches since September 22 and included journalists from BirGün and ANKA, in addition to the media outlet Kısa Dalga.
• The blocks limit access from Turkey, while the accounts may remain visible elsewhere.

🚨 X restricted nearly 500 accounts in Turkey

Among those affected are journalists, economists, and academics, according to Bloomberg and EngelliWeb.

The blocks coincided with investigations into financial publications and the closure of 131 funds.

EngelliWeb attributes the measures... pic.twitter.com/EX12a61yKO

--- Diario฿itcoin (@DiarioBitcoin) September 29, 2026

X restricted nearly 500 accounts in Turkey amid fund crisis

X made nearly 500 accounts inaccessible to users in Turkey for a week, according to Bloomberg and records from the monitoring project EngelliWeb. Among the affected accounts are profiles of journalists, economists, and academics, in a series of restrictions that coincided with publications about tensions in the Turkish financial markets.

EngelliWeb, an initiative managed by the Turkish digital rights organization İFÖD, attributed the blocks to court orders related to national security and public order. X did not provide a public explanation regarding the restricted accounts. The measures limited access within Turkey, while available information indicates that the accounts remained visible outside the country.

Restrictions during the fund crisis

Some of the affected publications dealt with a crisis in the Turkish investment fund market. In early September, the market regulator ordered seven fund companies to close 131 funds after some faced difficulties refunding investors who had requested to withdraw their money.

The decision fueled discontent online regarding how the government managed the situation, according to available information on the case. In this context, publications about financial markets came under investigation, and prosecutors argued that they could scare investors, a claim that preceded several of the reported blocks.

On September 22, İFÖD reported that 194 accounts had been blocked in investigations linked to publications about financial markets. Among the mentioned profiles were those of economists Uğur Gürses and Bilge Yılmaz, as well as journalist Naz Yavuzarslan. Tax authorities stated that the messages could generate fear among investors.

On September 26, at least another 80 accounts were added, including that of the news site Kısa Dalga. On Monday, September 28, EngelliWeb recorded at least 150 additional restrictions, including two reporters from the newspaper BirGün and a judicial reporter from the news agency ANKA. Thus, the measures reached both economic commentators and media and journalists.

Blocks applied within Turkey

The measures limit the visibility of the accounts within Turkey, but do not necessarily remove them from the platform elsewhere in the world. According to information from EngelliWeb, the accounts remain visible outside the country, while those accessing from Turkish territory encounter the restriction.

This national scope distinguishes these blocks from a global suspension of an account. The measure reduces the likelihood that the Turkish public will see the flagged posts, although the profiles and their content remain available to users from other countries. The available information does not specify how each case affects those trying to register or access from the country.

The courts applied Article 8/A of Turkey's internet law, which allows for access suspension before obtaining subsequent approval from a judge. This procedure places the initial restriction before judicial review, making the justification and scope of the order relevant for the affected accounts and for those seeking to know the blocked content.

The scale of the measures is evident in the progression of the figures: 194 accounts reported on September 22, at least 80 more on the 26th, and another 150 registered on Monday the 28th. EngelliWeb described the weekly total as close to 500. The numbers for each batch correspond to records from different moments and do not necessarily provide a complete breakdown of all accounts.

The Case of Yaman Akdeniz and X's Response

Among the accounts restricted last week was that of Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor and co-founder of İFÖD, who also operates EngelliWeb. Akdeniz stated that X notified him of the measure without providing details, a copy of the court decision, or the specific reasons for the block.

In a post on the platform itself, Akdeniz wrote: "I have been fighting against censorship on the Internet for over 30 years, and X has notified me without providing details, nor a copy of the blocking decision, nor the reasons." His statement raises concerns about the information that account holders receive, although it does not alone establish what reasons were included in the court order in his case.

İFÖD has also reported restrictions on accounts of LGBTQ+ groups, women's rights organizations, and news agencies. These reports indicate that the measures were not limited to discussions about funds.

X had already questioned some requests from Turkish authorities. In March 2025, the company stated that orders to block more than 700 accounts were illegal; in August, it announced that it would challenge the ban on the campaign account of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, although it would comply with the order while the case progressed.

A Dispute Between Court Orders and Transparency

The described facts put pressure on the application of court orders under national norms and the lack of detailed explanations for some of the affected accounts. EngelliWeb attributes the blocks to national security and public order reasons, but X has not provided its own reason for the restrictions reported this time.

The difference between the justification of the orders and the platform's communication is important for evaluating each case. The available information does not allow for determining which specific posts motivated all the measures or what arguments each court presented, so the allegations from the authorities and the objections from the affected must remain clearly attributed.

The restrictions included voices commenting on the markets while some funds faced difficulties returning money to investors requesting refunds. The temporal coincidence does not prove that the posts were correct or incorrect, but it shows that their dissemination occurred during a sensitive debate about market functioning and the official response.

For now, EngelliWeb's records document new restricted accounts, while X has not detailed the reasons for this batch and the blocks continue to be applied within Turkey. The evolution of the orders, the judicial review provided for by Article 8/A, and any challenges from X or account holders will be key to clarifying the scope of a dispute that combines access to information, regulation, and freedom of expression.

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