Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot opposition CTP representative Sami Ozuslu said bot attacks targeting journalists and news outlets’ social media accounts in Cyprus have “a famous perpetrator” and urged platform owners to act.
Remarks in the Turkish Cypriot legislature
Ozuslu addressed the Turkish Cypriot legislature on Tuesday, saying the attacks had been described as “cyber-attacks” but arguing that “cyber-attacks are something else” and calling the phenomenon “digital states of fascism.”
He said the attacks “especially targeted media organisations which spread news content on social media,” resulting in “a loss of advertising revenue, a loss of access, and damage to the public’s right to receive news.”
Reference to Kutlu Adali case
In his speech, Ozuslu referred to the murder of journalist Kutlu Adali, who was killed in 1996 after reporting that Turkish soldiers had looted abandoned Greek Cypriot property and hidden the loot inside Famagusta’s St Barnabus monastery.
Ozuslu said that while Adali’s killer was described as unknown, “every year, the following expression is used at his grave: ‘the perpetrator is not unknown, the perpetrator is famous’,” adding that the current attacks “must also have a famous perpetrator.”
Calls for action and named companies
Ozuslu called on social media platform proprietors to address the matter, saying “the attacks can easily be followed through digital tracking.”
He urged platform owners to investigate the source of “organised reporting of Turkish Cypriot journalists, politicians, trade unionists, and media organisations,” and addressed Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg by name.
He said two Indian companies had been published so far: Aiplex and Markscan. Aiplex Software Private Ltd was linked to mass reporting and takedowns of posts from newspaper Yeniduzen and news websites including Kibris Postasi and Bugun Kibris, while Markscan was first employed to remove content posted by the Cyprus Mail and later targeted other journalists.
Ozuslu said Meta would have access to the identity of the individual or organisation that enlisted both Aiplex and Markscan and called on Zuckerberg to act. He also said it has been reported that the company charges as much as US$50,000 per target account to remove content.
What steps do you think social media platforms should take to address organised mass reporting campaigns against journalists?
