The sweeping censorship of Turkey’s leading food safety platform, Gıda Dedektifi, marks a new chapter in the country’s deepening repression of independent voices. Once known primarily for analyzing food labels and exposing misleading claims by major food producers, the platform has now joined the growing list of digital outlets silenced by state authority under the guise of maintaining public order.
A decision by Istanbul’s 6th Criminal Court of Peace on May 29 led to the full-scale blocking of Gıda Dedektifi across nearly all major platforms, including its website, mobile apps, and high-traffic social media accounts. With over 2 million followers on Instagram and nearly 1 million combined across X and YouTube, the platform had become a trusted source of consumer information, particularly among health-conscious families concerned about processed foods.
While no official reason has been made public, the ban comes amid reported pressure from powerful players in the Turkish food industry. In recent years, Gıda Dedektifi had increasingly attracted the ire of large manufacturers by questioning the nutritional value and transparency of products, especially those marketed to children. Its founder, food safety expert Musa Özsoy, has long warned of lax regulatory oversight and industry practices that prioritize profit over consumer health.
The action against Gıda Dedektifi is notable not only for its scope, but also for the broader political context in which it occurred. Turkey has intensified its clampdown on online content in 2025, with the Interior Ministry confirming that over 27,000 social media accounts were blocked in just the first four months of the year. The use of Law No. 5651, originally intended to regulate internet crime, has increasingly served as a blunt instrument to suppress dissent, criticism, and now — consumer advocacy.
Digital rights groups, including EngelliWeb and the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), have warned that Turkey’s internet governance is evolving into a model of centralized information control. The use of courts to fast-track bans, often without transparent legal reasoning or public disclosure, further underscores the erosion of judicial independence.
The case of Gıda Dedektifi reveals how far the state is willing to go in shielding industry and authority from scrutiny. It also signals that even non-political civic initiatives are no longer safe from censorship in a country where democratic norms and rule of law continue to deteriorate. What began as a public service aimed at educating consumers has now become a casualty of an increasingly repressive system where the boundaries of acceptable speech are defined not by law, but by power.
Related Topics:
Brian Norman Jr Says Jin Sasaki Needs Third Arm to Surprise
